Gordon Ramsay’s raspberry lemon cheesecake is a baked New York-style dessert with no base, made from cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest and fresh raspberries. The recipe comes from Ultimate Cookery Course, serves eight and bakes in just 35 minutes.
Ramsay says “if there is one thing the Americans know how to do, it’s how to make great cheesecakes.” He treats this one more like a baked custard than a British cheesecake, denser but lighter without the buttery biscuit layer.
The trick that sets his version apart is getting raspberries distributed at every level, not just pooled at the bottom. In the video, he shows a simple tap technique before baking that makes this happen without any effort.
Gordon Ramsay’s Baked Raspberry and Lemon Cheesecake
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
15
minutes35
minutes365
kcal50 min (plus cooling)
From Ultimate Cookery Course, a New York-style baked cheesecake with no biscuit base. Ramsay calls it “one of the simplest yet the most stylish cheesecakes anywhere.” About 80p per serving at Tesco prices.
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing
550g cream cheese, at room temperature
160g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp plain flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
200g fresh raspberries
Directions
- Preheat and grease: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F / Gas 4). Butter a 23cm springform cake tin.
- Beat the filling: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the beaten eggs bit by bit until fully combined. Add the flour and lemon zest, then gently fold through the raspberries without crushing them.
- Fill and tap: Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Tap the tin firmly against the worktop several times to remove air pockets and help the raspberries rise up through the batter.
- Bake: Bake for 35 minutes until the edges are set but the centre still wobbles slightly when you nudge the tin. The top should be lightly golden and slightly puffed up.
- Cool and serve: Leave to cool completely in the tin before running a knife around the edges and removing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
FAQs
Why does this cheesecake have no biscuit base?
Ramsay deliberately skips the crust because it makes the result less sweet and heavy than a traditional British cheesecake. He describes the texture as “like a sweetened quiche filling,” which means the cream cheese flavour comes through without competing with a buttery biscuit layer.
This is the New York approach, where the filling has to stand on its own without a base to mask it. If you prefer a crust, his lemon meringue cheesecake uses a traditional biscuit base with torched meringue on top, which is a completely different dish.
Why do you add eggs bit by bit?
Ramsay is clear about this in the video: adding eggs gradually stops the mixture from separating. Cold eggs dumped into room-temperature cream cheese shock the fat and cause lumps, while adding them slowly keeps everything smooth.
He also stresses leaving the cream cheese out of the fridge for 5-10 minutes first, because soft cheese beats smoothly without lumps. The same patience with eggs matters for his crème brûlée, which is another baked custard where gradual mixing prevents a grainy texture.
How do you stop raspberries sinking to the bottom?
Ramsay taps the filled tin firmly against the worktop before it goes in the oven. The batter settles flat and pushes trapped air pockets out, while the raspberries float upwards through the mixture.
You end up with fruit at the top, middle and bottom instead of a solid raspberry layer sitting at the base. He says tapping also prevents holes forming inside the cheesecake, because trapped air bubbles expand during baking and leave gaps in the finished texture.
How do you know when the cheesecake is done?
Look for set edges with a wobbly centre that jiggles when you nudge the tin. Ramsay bakes at 180°C for 35 minutes, and the video shows the top “slightly souffléed up” with a light golden colour.
Don’t panic when it sinks and cracks as it cools, because every baked cheesecake does this. The centre firms up completely at room temperature. His chocolate fondant uses the same wobble test to check doneness.
Can you make this the day before?
Yes, and it’s actually better the next day because the flavours develop and the texture firms up overnight in the fridge. Cover with cling film once completely cool and store for up to 3-4 days.
The raspberries soften after day two, so it’s best within 48 hours if you want that burst of fresh fruit. For a make-ahead dessert with more staying power, his panna cotta holds its texture for a full 3 days in the fridge.
