135 gms castor sugar 4 eggs Finely grated rind of 1 lemon 125 gms sifted plain flour 60 gms unsalted butter, melted and cooled 125 gms unsalted butter, cubed 220 gms castor sugar 2/3 cup lemon juice 3 eggs 3 egg yolks 300 gms ricotta 250 gms cream cheese 110 gms castor sugar Pulp of 6 passionfruitMake the cake and lemon curd two days in advance and assemble the cheesecake a day before serving.
Grease, flour and line bases of two round 23 cm. sandwich pans. Beat eggs and sugar until mixture is thick and pale and forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted. Stir in lemon rind. Fold in flour in three batches, adding butter with the last batch. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes or until cakes pull away from the sides of the pan. Stand for five minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely. Store in a airtight container overnight.
Combine butter, lemon juice and sugar in the top of a double saucepan and stir over simmering water until sugar disolves and mixture is well combined. Whisk eggs with yolks and then whisk into lemon mixture. Stir over simmering water for 7-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, cover with plastic and cool then refrigerate overnight.
Process ricotta, cream cheese and sugar until smooth then transfer to a bowl and stir in passionfruit pulp.
Using a bread knife, cut each sponge cake horizontally into two even layers. Place a bottom layer into a 23 cm springform tin lined with plastic wrap or foil. Spread with a quarter of the cheese mixture and a quarter of the lemon curd. Cover with another layer of sponge cake and continue layering with remaining cheese mixture, curd and cake, finishing with a cheese/curd layer. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight until firm. (Serves 10-12)