Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd
Creamy lemon cheesecake with lemon curd, fresh lemon flavor, and a buttery graham cracker crust. Sweet, tangy, silky, and bakery worthy!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 18 Graham Cracker Sheets
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 8 tbsp Salted Butter, (melted)
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 4 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 32 oz Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 3/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 3 large Eggs, (room temperature)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Lemon Emulsion
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
Lemon Curd
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
- 4 tbsp Salted Butter
- Whipped Cream, (for garnish)
Instructions
Prepare the Graham Cracker Crust
- Line a springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom and sides of the pan. To get the parchment paper to stick to the sides of the pan, it's helpful to rub a tiny bit of room temperature butter along the pan and then press the parchment paper onto the pan to get it to stay.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then begin making the graham cracker crust. Combine graham crackers and sugar in a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form. Then pour in melted butter and pulse until smooth and texture resembles wet sand. (Tip: you should be able to grab some of the crumbs and squeeze them together. If they stick together, they're good to go!) 18 Graham Cracker Sheets 3 tbsp Sugar 8 tbsp Salted Butter
- Add graham cracker crumbs into the prepared pan. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan and against the sides of the pan until a crust forms. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. until golden brown and set. Set aside to cool.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
- Add 8 cups of water to a pot or kettle and bring to a boil. This will be used later for the water bath.
Make the Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- Add sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar for about 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and the sugar takes on a pale yellow color. Add the room temperature cream cheese and cornstarch and attach the paddle attachment. Mix cream cheese on low speed until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Then add vanilla extract, lemon emulsion, almond extract. Mix together for 20-30 seconds, until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix on low speed for about 20 more seconds, ensuring that there's no lumps and that the batter is smooth. 1 1/2 cups Sugar 4 tbsp Lemon Zest 32 oz Cream Cheese 1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 1 tsp Lemon Emulsion 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Begin adding eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, allowing each egg to become fully incorporated prior to adding the next. Then add sour cream, heavy cream, and kosher salt. Continue to mix until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. 3 large Eggs 1 Egg Yolk 3/4 cup Sour Cream 1/2 cup Heavy Cream 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Pour in lemon juice and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then pour the batter into the graham cracker crust. Smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula or butter knife. 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
- Carefully pour hot water into a 9×13 baking dish and place into the oven on the bottom rack. Then place the cheesecake into the oven on the middle rack. Quickly close the oven door to make sure to trap in the steam. Bake for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, until the center is slightly jiggly (like jello) and the edges are set and slightly puffed.
- While the cheesecake bakes, make the lemon curd topping. Fill a small saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Place onto the stove over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low heat and allow it to simmer.
- Add egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium heat safe bowl. Whisk together and place on top of the saucepan, whisking constantly so as to not cook the eggs. Continue to whisk until the consistency becomes pudding-like (or reached 170-180 degrees F), about 10-15 minutes. Once this consistency is reached, remove from heat and add in butter. Whisk until the butter is melted and set aside to cool. (don't place into the refrigerator as we don't want it to set just yet. It'll be poured on top of the cheesecake before we place it into the refrigerator) 4 Egg Yolks 1/2 cup Sugar 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
- Once the cheesecake is finished baking, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for one hour with the door cracked open. Then remove from the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pour the lemon curd on top of the cheesecake, carefully so as to not to disturb the filling. Place into the refrigerator for 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- Before serving, top with whipped cream and fresh lemon juices slices!
Nutrition
Calories: 700kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 48g, Saturated Fat: 27g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 254mg, Sodium: 582mg, Potassium: 175mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 46g, Vitamin A: 1778IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 118mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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