Summer is in full swing with vigorous plant growth happening everywhere. A favorite friend in my garden during the warm days of summer is lemon balm. It seems like I can never get enough of the happy vibrantly green, lemony leaves! I love to cook with it as much as possible and I want to share this year’s newest creation - a tasty lemon balm cheesecake recipe, oh yum!

Studded with little tasty green bits of lemon balm, this cake is made using a combination of thick protein-rich Greek yogurt and neufchatel cheese, with pure honey as the sweetener. Topped with delicious berries and pretty flowers, enjoy this lemon balm cheesecake recipe as a delightful dessert or even a quick, tasty breakfast on a busy summer morning.

Make Your Own Lemon Balm Cheesecake

If you haven't made cheesecake before, don't worry, it is really pretty simple. Just follow along with this cheesecake recipe and before you know it you will be enjoying a delicious slice of cake!

Ingredients

The Crust -

Try this crust recipe or use a traditional graham cracker recipe.

2 cups of almond flour (not meal)
4 to 5 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil
1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar, optional

The Filling-

2 bars neufchatel cheese
3 eggs
2 to 3 cups of greek yogurt
1 cup honey
1 to 2 cups fresh lemon balm leaves
½ teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one small lemon

Toppings -

Choose something lovely for the top of your cheesecake or leave it plain! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Berries of various kinds
Fresh lemon balm leaves
Fresh edible flowers such as pansies, rose petals, and calendula petals
Berry Lemon Balm Sauce - recipe below

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Crust -

Melt the butter or coconut oil in a pan.
Add the almond flour and sugar if using.
Dump into a 9” springform pan and press evenly along the bottom of the pan.
Place the springform pan on top of a cookie sheet to protect against leakage.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Let cool while you make your filling.

Filling -

Place the cheese and eggs in a food processor and whip together until fluffy.
Add the yogurt, honey, along with the lemon zest and juice, and blend.
Finally pulse in the lemon balm and salt until everything is well incorporated.
Pour into the cooked crust.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the center is still jiggly but the sides are set.
Turn off the oven and cool while still inside the over with the door cracked open for about 30 minutes.
Cool the cake in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours before enjoying.
Add your choice of toppings and enjoy!

Strawberry Lemon Balm Sauce

Recipe inspired by this fine post on Allrecipes.

5 cups of berries - strawberry, blueberry, or raspberry

½ cup of chopped fresh lemon balm
1 big spoonful of honey (about a ¼ cup)
vanilla extract or the scraped beans from one pod

Directions

Place berries, honey and vanilla in a pan and simmer until the berries are soft.
Smash them with a spoon or potato masher and let simmer until syrupy.
Add the lemon balm and blend a portion of the syrup with an immersion blender.