Mr BBB celebrates a birthday later this week. And, as we will be away on his actual birthday, we decided to hold a birthday dinner with his family a little early. Our favourite local Thai restaurant provided the scrumptious main meal, but we headed home for dessert. For we had birthday cake awaiting us. And not just any old birthday cake…. But a cake that was inspired by Mr BBB’s favourite sweet treat – lemon meringue pie. Adapted to be gluten free, and made into a cheesecake. ie. a lemon meringue cheesecake! The base was rather easy – owing to these GF biscuits I found at our local grocery store. Crushed, and combined with melted butter. Then pressed into the base of a lined spring-form pan. Topped with the cheesecake layer – made with cream cheese, eggs, sugar and lemon rind. Baked for 1 hour, and finished with a thick layer of lemon curd (store bought….I cheated).

And set in the fridge overnight. On the day of serving, all I had to do was finish the cake with a layer of meringue. Egg whites and sugar, whisked until firm, then piped on top the cheesecake layer. Baked for a further 10 minutes until the meringue had browned slightly… And our lemon meringue birthday cheesecake was complete! Between the buttery base… The creamy cheesecake and tart lemon curd centre… And not to mention the fluffy sweet meringue…. This cake ended up being quite the lovely adaptation of an old classic. Minus the hassle of attempting GF pastry! The slices we served were certainly well received for dessert, so I am calling this baking experiment a win! Although, can you really go wrong when lemon and meringue are involved??? I think not. Lemon meringue cheesecake (GF)

• 250g GF biscuits
• 120g butter, melted
• 500g cream cheese, softened
• Rind of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup + 1 cup caster sugar
• 2tbs lemon curd (make sure it is GF)
• 3 eggs + 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Lightly grease a round spring-form cake pan, and line base with baking paper.
2. Process biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, and pulse until combined. Press the biscuit mixture into the prepared tin, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat 3 eggs and 3/4 cup caster sugar, until light and creamy.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and lemon rind until smooth.
5. Add the egg mixture to the cream cheese mixture, and continue to beat until smooth (do not overbeat!).
6. Pour atop the biscuit base, and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven, and allow to cool in the oven with the door ajar.
7. Once cooled, spread the lemon curd over the surface of the cheesecake, and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
8. To make the meringue – beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1 cup of sugar, a little at a time, whisking until they become stiff peaks and the sugar has incorporated.
9. Fold through the cornflour, and spoon the meringue into a piping bag. Pipe rounds of the meringue onto the top of the prepared cheesecake, until the surface is mostly covered.
10. Place in a hot oven (220C) for 10 minutes, or until browned lightly.
11. Remove and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before serving.