I have made cheesecake once before on this blog! That was the Spooky Oreo Cheesecake I made for Halloween. I learned a lot from that recipe and have applied that knowledge here. I found this Lemon Cheesecake recipe on Simple Recipes.
INGREDIENTS
(makes one 10-inch cheesecake)
CRUST
- 7 oz Graham Cracker, half a box
- 4 tbs. Unsalted Butter, melted
- 3 tbs. Granulated Sugar
- pinch of Salt
FILLING
- 4, 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tbs. Lemon Zest
- 4 Eggs, large
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- pinch of Salt
- Lemon Curd, for topping after baking
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place your springform pan on top.
In a food processor, mix the crackers until fine. In a medium bowl, mix the crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt until the mixture can clump.
Press the mixture into the bottom of your springform pan. Optional to bring the crust up the sides or keep it on the bottom.
Bake for 15 minutes and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temp to 325 degrees F. On the bottom rack, place a 9x13 baking dish on the lower rack with boiling water.
In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides consistently. Beat in sugar, lemon zest, and salt.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each egg is combined, scraping the sides consistently. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture.
Add the sour cream and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides.
Fill the crust with cheesecake filling.
Put the cheesecake on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the foil up and around the outsides of the pan.
Place the cheesecake in the oven on the center rack above the baking dish with hot water. Bake for about an hour, until the cheesecake, appears set and dry on top, but jiggly in the middle.
Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool with the oven door closed for an hour.
Then, crack the oven door open and let it cool for another 45 minutes. After that, let the cheesecake come down to room temperature on your kitchen counter.
Once it is at room temperature, remove the foil and transfer it to the refrigerator. Let chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
Top with lemon curd and enjoy!
TIPS
Too much beating of the filling mixture creates air in the batter and causes it to crack.
Don't rush the cooling process!!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place your springform pan on top.
In a food processor, mix the crackers until fine. In a medium bowl, mix the crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt until the mixture can clump.
Press the mixture into the bottom of your springform pan. Optional to bring the crust up the sides or keep it on the bottom.
Bake for 15 minutes and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temp to 325 degrees F. On the bottom rack, place a 9x13 baking dish on the lower rack with boiling water.
In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides consistently. Beat in sugar, lemon zest, and salt.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each egg is combined, scraping the sides consistently. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture.
Add the sour cream and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides.
Fill the crust with cheesecake filling.
Put the cheesecake on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the foil up and around the outsides of the pan.
Place the cheesecake in the oven on the center rack above the baking dish with hot water. Bake for about an hour, until the cheesecake, appears set and dry on top, but jiggly in the middle.
Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool with the oven door closed for an hour.
Then, crack the oven door open and let it cool for another 45 minutes. After that, let the cheesecake come down to room temperature on your kitchen counter.
Once it is at room temperature, remove the foil and transfer it to the refrigerator. Let chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
Top with lemon curd and enjoy!
I had seen a post on baked pineapple "flowers". Essentially thin sliced pineapple, and cranberry juice, and place in the oven at 250 degrees F for a few hours. I didn't have cranberry so instead, I used orange juice and red food coloring on one slice.
It gives an edible flower look but uses fresh fruit instead.
The cheesecake was incredibly smooth and had just the right amount of fresh, tart, and bright lemon flavor.
I'd love to know if you try it! It was a hit with my family and worth every little bit of the tedious waiting and cooling process.
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