3 Parts to This Lemon Cheesecake
Graham Cracker Crust: A classic graham cracker crumb crust is the perfect base for this lemon cheesecake. If you can’t find graham crackers where you live, see the post on how to make a graham cracker crust for substitution information. Lemon Cheesecake Filling: This is a velvety-smooth and creamy filling, not stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth-dense like New York-style cheesecake can be. Lemon Curd: We’re topping the baked cheesecake with a layer of lemon curd. Have you made it before? It’s surprisingly easy—if you can whisk, you can make lemon curd!
Start With a Crumb Crust
Make the Filling
You could really do this with any recipe that calls for granulated sugar and lemon zest. Grab your food processor (something you also need for the graham crackers in the crust!) and pulse away: Plan ahead to make this cheesecake—ideally, the day before you plan to serve it. It needs time to bake, cool, and set in the refrigerator. Don’t we all need a little me time before a big event? 😉 The crust turns out buttery, soft, and crunchy at the same time. Give it a 10-minute head start in the oven before adding the filling. Pulse lemon zest with the sugar you need for the cheesecake filling. This infuses the sugar with lemon flavor. Instead of the lemon zest just sitting in the batter, it’s now broken down in the sugar (which, along with the cream cheese, is the base of the filling). Very easy. The cheesecake filling ingredients come together in a certain order. Beat the cream cheese and lemon zest-infused sugar together first, and then beat in the rest of the ingredients except for the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating only until combined. Over-beating the eggs incorporates too much air into the batter, which causes the cheesecake to deflate and crack. While a common concern about baking cheesecakes is how to prevent cracks in cheesecake, it doesn’t matter as much for this recipe because we’re covering the top with lemon curd. Still, I always bake cheesecake in a water bath.
Cheesecake Water Bath
I promise a water bath is nothing complicated. All you’re doing is placing the springform pan in a roasting pan, filling it with hot water, and baking. What’s the point, you ask? I actually have an entire post and video tutorial for How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath. You see, cheesecake loves a humid environment. The steam from the hot water will lift the cheesecake up slowly and evenly, reducing the risk of cracks on the surface. Additionally, this slow and even baking method helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking back down as it cools. Taking a few extra minutes to prepare a water bath for this cheesecake recipe is well worth it. Follow my precise instructions for baking and cooling your cheesecake. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s no greater test to your willpower than those few hours waiting for a cheesecake to bake and cool. During this time, you can make the lemon curd topping.
Make the Lemon Curd
After the lemon curd-topped cheesecake has chilled completely, you can garnish and serve. Cool the lemon curd completely. Then spread it on top of the lemon cheesecake after the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, and before chilling in the refrigerator. You want the lemon curd to chill and set on top of the cheesecake.
Optional Garnishes
This lemon cheesecake is sublime (or should I say, sublemon—LOL) topped with whipped cream. You could also add fresh lemon slices and berries, and raspberry sauce, blueberry sauce, or strawberry topping would also be delicious. But extra toppings are completely optional; no one is going to turn down a plain slice of this divine dessert, with its shiny halo of homemade lemon curd. In the pictured lemon cheesecake, I piped the whipped cream with Wilton 1M piping tip, but you could also just spread it on top like I do with this pumpkin swirl cheesecake.
Lemon Cheesecake Success Tips
