I don’t know what it is about spring and Easter, but it makes me want to bust out the fresh lemon flavour in everything I make. Whether it’s zesting lemon peel in the weekend dutch baby pancake or sautéing fresh asparagus with lemon juice and olive oil, it’s a flavour that feels like warmer days are just around the corner.
Photographs: Andreas Wiking / Erin Chapman
Text: Erin Chapman
At The American Pie Company, we love to change our pies each season and, a few years ago I had to come up with a new recipe for our special Easter pie. We had just gotten off a busy Lemon Meringue season, and I knew that was a popular pie, plus several folks were asking for cheesecake offerings. So, voila! Daisy’s Double Lemon Cream pie was born. With the cookie crust you love in a cheesecake, a hidden layer of tart lemon curd, and a generous layer of light and fluffy lemon cheesecake cream topping, this pie is easy, can be prepped up to 2 days ahead, and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
DAISY'S DOUBLE LEMON CREAM PIE
Serves 8-10
From "The Pie Shop Cookbook", available in English or Danish at theamericanpieco.com
Crust:
200g digestives or graham crackers, ground finely 85g butter, melted 50g sugar
Lemon curd layer:
170g sugar 25g cornstarch pinch of salt 125ml lemon juice 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten 125ml boiling water 10g butter 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Lemon cream layer:
150ml cream 150g cream cheese 75g powdered sugar 1½ tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
TIP: As a time-saver, you can make this pie a day ahead of time. It’s flavors and textures get even better overnight!
Topping:
150ml cream (optional) lemon zest for sprinkling
Crust:
1. Grind the cookies into a fine crumb mixture in a food processor or blender. 2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the cookie crumb mixture, melted butter, and sugar until combined. 3. Pour the cookie mixture into a ca. 23-24 cm (9-inch) pie pan and press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides. 4. Bake the cookie crust in a preheated 175 C oven for 7-10 minutes. Let cool.
Lemon curd filling:
5. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and lemon juice. Then whisk in the egg and egg yolk, ensuring there are no dry ingredients left in the corners of the saucepan. 6. Place over medium-high heat on the stovetop and add the boiling water. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and bubbles slowly. This will take about 3-4 min. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the butter until melted, and fresh lemon zest until combined. 7. Pour the lemon curd layer into the bottom of a prepared baked cookie crust. Allow to cool, then place in refrigerator until completely chilled and firm (about 1 hour) before topping with the Lemon Cream.
Lemon cream filling:
8. In a mixing bowl, beat the whipped cream until firm. Set aside in refrigerator to keep chilled. 9. Using an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar on a low setting until thickened (use the paddle attachment if you’re using a stand mixer). It will take about 3-4 minutes to reach a thick consistency (much like frosting). Then add the lemon juice and zest and mix until combined and thickened. 10. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the lemon cream cheese mixture until smooth and combined. Spread the lemon cream evenly over the lemon curd layer and chill for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to overnight.
Topping:
11. Top the pie with lemon zest or lemon peel curls and fresh whipped cream, if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: At the pie shop, we love to give all our pies funny signature names.
This pie got its name for two reasons:
1. When you slice into it, it looks like a daisy – lighter on the outside and bright yellow in the centre.
2. “Daisy” is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s nickname!
We'd like to wish Queen Margrethe a Happy 80th Birthday on April 16th!
EASTER FUN TIP: During the Easter break, try colouring a bit of coconut with green food colouring and place it on the whipped cream topping to form little “nests”. Place a little chocolate Easter egg on each nest for a sweet Easter Bunny inspired dessert!