Makes one 9-inch cake
Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: approx 1h plus 4-5h cooling time (minimum)
Lemon and mint drinks are refreshing, delicious and have been consumed across the Middle East for centuries. However, you might be surprised to know that the Limonana we know and love today, often referred to as the national drink of Israel and served everywhere from street corners to supermarkets, only gained real popularity in the country during the 1990s, and was originally part of an advertising prank!
In a bid to promote bus advertising to sceptical clients, a clever group of marketeers created a celebrity-endorsed campaign around a fictional lemon and mint soft drink. A play on “limonada” and “nana,” the Hebrew words for lemonade and mint respectively, the bus campaign triggered a frenzy with shoppers on the hunt for the drink we now know as Limonana. Having proven that the bus ads really worked, the marketeers came clean about their deception. When it was revealed that it was all a ruse, restaurants and coffee shops started creating their own versions blended with ice, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Originally created as part of our Israel-inspired Simchat Torah menu, we have infused the flavours of Limonana into a deliciously creamy cheesecake, an opportunity to spark discussion around the links between Shavuot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Ingredients
For the base:
- 170g (6oz / ¾ cup) butter, plus extra for greasing tin
- 280g (10oz / 3 cups) digestive biscuits, made into fine crumbs
- 1½ tbsp sugar golden caster
For the cheesecake filling:
- 1kg (2.2lb / 4 cups) full-fat soft cheese (can use cream cheese)
- 250g (9oz / 1 cup) golden caster sugar
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- Finely grated zest of 4 lemons (about 3 tbsp)
- 1 bunch of mint, finely chopped.
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
- 3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
- 200ml (0.85 cups) carton sour cream
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4)
- Line the base of a springform tin: Either one 23cm or eight x 10cm spring form tins (available in packs of four – you can bake four at a time).
For the base:
- Crush 280g (10oz / 3 cups) biscuits
- Melt 170g (6oz / ¾ cup) of butter in a medium-sized pan and stir in the biscuits. Stir in 1 tbsp of golden caster sugar until it is combined and well coated.
- Carefully press the mixture into the bottom of your cake tin(s). And bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and leave to cool (inside the tins) on a wire rack.
For the filling:
- Up the temperature of the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / 390°F / Gas Mark 6).
- In a mixer (you can use a large bowl with an electric whisk) beat 1kg (2.2lb / 4 cups) of full fat, soft cheese on a low speed until creamy. This should only take a couple of minutes.
- Slowly beat in 250g (9oz / 1 cup) of caster sugar (keeping the mixer on low). Then add in 3 tbsp of plain flour, and a pinch of salt. Scrape the sides of to combine the mixture and whisk until fully combined.
- Add in lemon zest and 1.5tsp lemon juice
- Whisk in, one at a time, 3 large eggs and 1 egg yolk. Scrape the sides of the bowl intermittently. Whisk until well combined.
- Stir in 200ml of sour cream. Whisk to blend, but don’t overdo it. It should be light and fluffy at the end.
- Grease the sides of the springform. Pour the batter into your tin.
- Bake on 180°C (160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4) for 30 minutes and check. The batter should jiggle subtly, but not be sloshing around. If required, cook for a further 10 minutes and repeat the jiggle test.
- Remove the cheesecake and allow it to cool for 1 hour in the tin, then use a pallete knife to separate the edges from the springform. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or overnight to set, then remove the sides of the tin.
Will keep refrigerated for 1 week in an airtight container, or can be frozen and thawed before serving.
(Image by Sophy Weiss Photography)
