A recent taste test has identified the Waitrose No 1 Sicilian lemon & mascarpone cheesecake as the 'Best overall' supermarket lemon cheesecake, earning four stars. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference lemon & mascarpone cheesecake was also highly rated with four stars, securing the 'Best bargain' title.
The test highlighted that while traditional lemon cheesecake uses a maximum of eight ingredients, the average store-bought version contains 24. All tested cheesecakes are classified as ultra-processed foods, typically including at least five ingredients not found in home kitchens.
Despite the use of real lemon juice or concentrate in all products, lemon oil and acidity regulators are commonly added to achieve the desired tart flavour. The quality of taste and texture varied significantly among the cheesecakes, with some praised for their 'wonderful fattiness' and 'tart, lemony complexity', while others were criticised for tasting of 'stale biscuits, acidity regulators and plastic packaging'.