Dangerous Baking: Key Lime Cheesecake

I spend a lot more time stumbling for recipes than I should but I forgive myself every hour of time-wasting when I come across a treasure like this.

Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake

It had me at Lime, and then knocked me over with Swirl and Cheesecake. After picking myself up off the floor I high-tailed it to the kitchen to make it.

This recipe comes courtesy of Heather from Sprinkle Bakes guest posting on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. Both blogs are fantastic and the pictures are juicy enough to have you drooling from the start.





But these, however, are my pictures.



 I have never made Lime Curd before, much less ever needed a thermometer to bake with. I guess that goes to show how much of a fledgeling I am. But apart from some caramelized sugar it came out like a dream. Note: good dreams take the form of cheesecake.

Limes. Limes take me to places where it doesn't rain on long weekends. I used about five for the cake itself and then one more for the Strawberry-Lime Coulis.

So as it rained I juiced

and mixed

and simmered

and stirred

and baked

and chilled...

and then, of course, I ate. My family might never forgive me for bringing this recipe into their lives. You honestly can't get enough of it.

Do you want me to share? Ok, I will. But you have to promise you'll go look at the blogs they came from. Promise? Alright then, children, let us begin.



I really like taking pictures of limes.



Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 28 crackers, crushed)

1/2 cup (or one stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 10 inch pan (I used a springform) with parchemin paper. Combine the butter and cracker crumbs so that the crumbs are moist and press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes and cool completely.

Filling:

2 bricks (8 oz. each) of cream cheese, softened.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs + 1 large egg white

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp all purpose flour

3/2 cup prepared Lime Curd - you can buy this at the grocery store or make it yourself. (divided, see instructions).

Liquid food colouring - green and yellow.

1 - Beat cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time at low speed and mix well after each one. Add sour cream, vanilla and flour until just combined. Remove 1 cup of batter and set aside. Pour the rest on top of the cooled crust.

2 - Tint the lime curd with food colouring until desired limey-green is achieved. Mix 1/2 cup of the tinted curd with the reserved cheese batter. Dollop the mixture onto the batter in the pan in any old way you like (while maintaining an artistic air). Dollop the remaining lime curd across that. Swirl the colours together using a skewer until you have achieved the desired artistic effect.

Wearing a beret at this point is optional but entirely recommended.

3 - Bake for 35 minutes at 325° F. Let it cool completely in the pan and then refrigerate completely.

4 - Serve in a pool of Strawberry-Lime Coulis with a dollop more on top for good measure.

And here is where I would have a picture of the final presentation. But, my friends, it's honestly just that good.