Lemon cheesecake is traditionally made by whipping cream, cream cheese, sugar and lemon, then pouring that on to a base made from melted butter and crushed biscuits (butter, flour, oats, sugar), before putting it in the fridge to set. That’s eight ingredients max, yet the average for today’s store-bought versions is 24.

Every cake in today’s test falls firmly into the ultra-processed food category and typically contains at least five ingredients that aren’t found in domestic kitchens. Although real lemon juice or concentrate features in every one, lemon oil and acidity regulators are used to ensure that tart, lemony flavour.

Although every cheesecake is edible and delicious in some way, and made so by that ultimate trio of salt, sugar and fat, the quality of taste and texture differs greatly. The best ones have a wonderful fattiness, a tart, lemony complexity and a good ratio of biscuit to topping; the worst tasted of stale biscuits, acidity regulators and plastic packaging.

★★★★☆

A pale lemon cheesecake topped with a spoon of lemon marmalade and a thick, sweet and firm but still crumbly base. Dangerously moreish. Not too sweet (19.2% sugar), full-fat indulgence and a wonderful, bitter lemon edge. No emulsifiers, preservatives, acidity regulators, colours or flavourings, but does contain seven additives, including certified sustainable palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm fat and invert sugar syrup.

★★★★☆

A very deep mascarpone cheesecake with a layer of set curd on top, a spoon of lemon rind marmalade in the centre, a thick base and a 60:40 cheese-to-biscuit ratio. Very sweet (25.3% total sugars), plus the lemon curd in the cheese mix gives it a dense texture. Four additives – palm oil and potassium citrates, carotenes, invert sugar syrup – though no emulsifiers, preservatives, stabilisers or thickeners.

★★★★☆

A pale cheesecake with candied lemon peel garnish and blobs of lemon curd throughout. A light, moussey texture, quite sweet (21% sugar) with a strong lemon flavour, a nice, compact base and a 70:30 cheese-to-biscuit ratio. No emulsifiers, preservatives or acidity regulators, but six additives nonetheless, including palm oil, amidated pectin, algal carotenes and invert sugar syrup.

★★★☆☆

Two small individual cheesecakes topped with a zesty lemon curd, a dash of white chocolate and a good ratio of moist biscuit base to topping. Made with British milk and Sicilian lemons, this is super-sweet (27.7% sugar), but there are no preservatives, colours or stabilisers, and only four additives (palm oil, invert sugar syrup, soya lecithins, flavouring).

★★★☆☆

A light, moussey and quite sweet (20.5% sugar) deep-dish cheesecake with bitter lemon curd on top. A 65:35 cheese-to-biscuit ratio, but the base tastes a bit stale. Emulsifier- and preservative-free, but still nine additives including palm oil, palm kernel oil, sodium citrates and invert sugar syrup.

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★★☆☆☆

Two large slices with a nice, firm base and a 70:30 cheese-to-biscuit ratio. An odd synthetic acidic aroma (probably from the citric acid and potassium sorbate), but a good, strong lemon flavour and moussey texture. The least sweet cake in the test (17.7% sugars), but eight additives including palm oil, modified starch, soya lecithins and flavouring. A Great Taste one-star winner in 2024.

★★☆☆☆

Moussey and saucy with a crumbly, moist base (thanks to the ramekin format). Super-sweet (26% sugars), and less lemony than most, with a synthetic, sour flavour. Emulsifier-free, but six additives including RSPO-certified palm oil, invert sugar syrup and modified starch.

★★☆☆☆

Super-rich, cheesy, creamy and not too sweet (19% sugars), with lemon coulis swirled into the top and a good 70:30 cheese-to-biscuit ratio. Low actual lemon content (2%) with a distinct lemon oil flavour. Seven additives, including palm oil, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids and potassium metabisulphite.

★★☆☆☆

Noticeably rich and creamy, with a lemon curd layer on top and a moist base. Very sweet (23% sugars), tart and lemony, with a distinctive lemon oil intensity. No preservatives or stabilisers beyond modified starch, but there are seven additives including palm oil, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup and citric acid.

★☆☆☆☆

A very sweet (20.8% sugars), fluffy cheesecake with a powerful, bitter lemon flavour, a soft digestive biscuit base and extra sweetness from the white chocolate topping. Eight additives, including palm oil, modified starch, soya lecithins and potassium sorbate.

For more, read the best (and worst) supermarket dark chocolate