Here's where to buy SA's tastiest lemon cheesecake dessert
To help you buy the best, our panel of judges put lemon cheesecakes from three leading supermarkets to the test
HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST
We put out a call to readers to be part of the panel of tasters. They came together on a Saturday morning at the HTA Culinary School in Randburg, Johannesburg, to taste ready-made lemon cheesecakes from three leading supermarkets.
They were presented with each of the products "naked" without any branding or packaging. The desserts were judged on five qualities - appearance, base, filling, flavour and texture
Auditor Jade Craig was on hand to monitor the objectivity of the blind-tasting process, from removing the packaging to numbering the products, overseeing the preparation and adding up the score sheets.
THE RESULTS
First place: Woolworths Lemon Swirl Cheesecake, 445g
Judges' comments:
"Well balanced, I enjoyed the lemon flavour."
"I'm not a fan of the ginger-biscuit base but there's more cream cheese and real cream than the other samples."
"It looks great, good texture and filling, has a pleasant lemon taste."
"A lovely dessert. All the elements are well balanced."
Price: R64.99
Second place: Pick n Pay Zesty Lemon Cheese Cake, 445g
Judges' comments:
"It was too thick and the lemon flavour was missing. The base was very dry and crumbly."
"Base is not compacted enough. It has more of a whipped-cream texture, without a lemon flavour."
"It looks good but tasted like old takkies."
"It is visually appealing with a nice fluffy filling."
Price: R57.90
Third place: Checkers Lemon Cheesecake, 450g
Judges' comments:
"A soggy base with strong cottage-cheese flavour and not lemony enough. Very average dessert."
"Neon-yellow topping looks artificial although it was edible with strong lemon flavour. Left almost 'chemical' aftertaste."
"A wannabe cheesecake - luminous and synthetic."
"Tastes artificial. This is not a proper cheesecake."
Price: R49.99