Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry’s lemon cheesecake is the recipe all midlife women need
Fancy a sweet treat made from ingredients that will support your midlife health?
Any products in this article have been selected editorially however if you buy something we mention, we may earn commission. Image: Dan Jones
Mouths were salivating in the office when the team were poring over the pages of Menolicious: Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause, £8.67, the new cookbook by broadcaster, journalist and menopause awareness activist Mariella Frostrup, 62, and Belles Berry, 51, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and daughter of Dame Mary Berry.
All the recipes have been developed with dietitian Hala El-Shafie, who specialises in nutrition and women’s health, and they’re created to help balance hormones, boost energy levels, curb sugar cravings, improve weight management and promote better focus and mood.
We’ve already got the chicken stew recipe on dinner rotation but we were excited to discover that sweets treats are also in the mix Case in point: this lemon cheesecake. It doesn’t scrimp on any of the usual cheesecake must-haves: cream? Check. Cream cheese? Check. But it does have a healthier nut base containing macadamia nuts, which support menopause health with their monounsaturated fats that promote heart health and reduce inflammation.
Not that we need any excuse to tuck in. Here’s how to make it.
Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry’s Lemon Cheesecake with a Macadamia Nut Crust
Protein 5.5g, fibre 2.6g, carbs 31g per portion
Serves 6-8
- 200g 0% Greek or soya yoghurt
- 100g salted butter
- 100g lightly roasted macadamia nuts or hazelnuts
- 200g oat biscuits
- 175g lemon curd
- 250g mascarpone
- 250ml double cream
- 125g cream cheese
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus zest of 1 lemon to decorate
Gently melt the butter in a medium non-stick pan. Meanwhile, put the macadamia nuts and biscuits in a food processor and blitz (or place in a sealed bag and bash with a rolling pin!) until crumbly.
Add the biscuit and nut mixture to the melted butter and mix well, then turn the biscuit mixture into a 23cm round, fluted, loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing it evenly into the base and pressing up the sides with a spoon.
Spoon the lemon curd on top of the biscuit base and place in the fridge to firm up.
In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, double cream, cream cheese, and the lemon zest and juice. Whisk well, then spoon the mixture on top of the biscuit base and chill in the fridge until set, this can take up to 1 hour.
Extracted from Menolicious: Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause, £9.99 (DK RED) by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry
