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Rich & Creamy Lemon Cheesecake
My favorite cheesecake with a buttery cookie crust and tangy lemon curd topping. Perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a texture that’s both rich and light. Tim loved this too, even thought it is not chocolate cake!
Servings: 12-16 slices
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour plus cooling
Total Time: 6-24 hours (including chilling)
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 1 cup finely crushed plain cookies (like animal crackers or tea biscuits) (5 ounces/142 grams)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted butter, kept warm
Cheesecake Filling
- 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (1½ pounds/680 grams total), cut into 1-inch chunks and softened at room temperature for 30-45 minutes
- 1¼ cups sugar (8¾ ounces/248 grams)
- 1 large lemon (for zest and ¼ cup juice)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Curd Topping
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk
- ½ cup sugar (3½ ounces/99 grams)
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Tiny pinch salt
Instructions
Prepare the Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Adjust rack to lower-middle position.
- In food processor, pulse cookies until very finely ground (about 30 seconds), yielding about 1 cup of crumbs.
- Add sugar to processor and pulse 2-3 times to combine.
- With processor running, slowly pour in warm melted butter in a steady stream. Pulse about ten 1-second pulses until mixture resembles wet sand.
- Transfer to 9-inch springform pan. Using flat bottom of a measuring cup or ramekin, press firmly and evenly into pan bottom, keeping sides clean.
- Bake until fragrant and golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
- Once cool, wrap outside of pan with two 18-inch squares of heavy-duty foil. Place in roasting pan.
Make the Filling
- While crust cools, make lemon sugar: In food processor, process ¼ cup sugar with lemon zest for about 15 seconds until sugar turns yellow and zest is finely ground. Transfer to bowl and stir in remaining sugar.
- In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on low speed for about 5 seconds to break up.
- With mixer running, slowly stream in sugar mixture. Increase to medium speed and beat until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.
- Reduce to medium-low. Add eggs 2 at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape sides and bottom thoroughly between additions.
- Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt – mix just 5 seconds.
- Add heavy cream – mix just 5 seconds more.
- Final scrape and stir by hand, then pour into prepared pan.
Baking Method
- Fill roasting pan with hot tap water halfway up sides of springform.
- Bake at 325°F for 55-60 minutes. Cheesecake is done when:
- Center still jiggles slightly
- Sides just start to puff
- Surface is no longer shiny
- Center registers 150°F on instant-read thermometer
- Turn off oven and prop door open with wooden spoon. Let cake cool in water bath in oven for 1 hour.
- Remove springform (without foil) to wire rack. Run small knife around edge to loosen.
- Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Lemon Curd Topping
- While cheesecake bakes, heat lemon juice in nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
- Whisk eggs, yolk, and sugar in medium nonreactive bowl.
- Whisking constantly, slowly stream hot juice into egg mixture.
- Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until mixture:
- Registers 170°F
- Is thick enough to coat spoon
- Takes about 3 minutes
- Immediately remove from heat. Stir in cold butter pieces until melted.
- Stir in cream, vanilla, and salt.
- Strain through fine-mesh strainer into nonreactive bowl.
- Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Assembly
- Spread chilled lemon curd evenly over cooled cheesecake using offset spatula.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-24 hours.
- To serve, remove springform sides and cut into wedges.
Recipe Notes
- Room temperature ingredients are crucial for a smooth filling
- Water bath prevents cracks and ensures even baking
- Curd can be made ahead and stored separately
- Cheesecake keeps well refrigerated for up to 5 days
- Using a kitchen scale for ingredients, especially the cream cheese and sugar, will give you the most consistent results
Source
Deborah Mundorff adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Lemon Cheesecake