Creamy, light, and delicious this Lemon Cheesecake is baked up to perfection and covered with lemon curd and whipped cream. A true lemon lovers dream.
Cheesecake is one of the banes of my existence, so is lemon. So when you combine the two in this Lemon Cheesecake you literally have love in each and every bite.
Lemon is one flavor that I cannot refuse no matter how hard it is, but when you combine it with my other love of cheesecake you have yourself a pair that is just a match that is made to be together.
A lot of people think that cheesecakes are hard, but please do not think that! They are really easy, you just need to know the best method to make them, and I will show you that below.
This Lemon Cheesecake Recipe will become one of your new favorite spring and summer recipes that you will want to bring to any and all gatherings that you have.
Some of my other favorite cheesecake recipes that we have on our site include: No Bake Cheesecake, Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake Cake and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal and easy-to-find ingredients, this recipe is easy to put together.
- This serves a crowd, so great for all gatherings.
- The lemon and cheesecake flavors together make an amazing pairing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Graham cracker crumbs
Granulated sugar
Unsalted butter
Cream cheese
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Lemon juice
Lemon zest
Lemon curd
Whipped cream, for serving
HOW TO MAKE A LEMON CHEESECAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until combined. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set in the refrigerator while making the filling.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth with no lumps. Slowly add in the sugar, scrape down the sides.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring the first one in completely before adding the next. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and sour cream, stir to combine. Scrape down the sides, and mix for 5 more seconds.
- Wrap your pan with heavy duty foil. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and smooth out the top.
- Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water from the tap halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Place the cheesecake in the roasting pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 1 hour until the center is set. It will still be very slightly jiggly right in the center, that’s perfect.
- Take the cheesecake out of the oven and out of the roasting pan. Let cool on the counter to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or overnight is best.
- Remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Smooth lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake. You may need to microwave the curd until it is spreadable, do this in 20 second intervals, stirring in between.
- Garnish with whipped cream and serve.
DO I HAVE TO USE A WATER BATH?
We love using a water bath for this and most of our cheesecake recipes. It helps let moisture into the oven which helps prevent cracks in the cheesecake top.
If you do not have a pan big enough to place your springform pan into then you can place a pan of water underneath your cheesecake.
CAN I MAKE HOMEMADE LEMON CURD?
Absolutely, we use store-bought lemon curd for this recipe but if you have a homemade recipe that you absolutely love then by all means use it for this recipe!
Another great flavor of lemon curd that we have used in the past is our Raspberry Lemon Curd if you want to switch up the flavors!
DO I HAVE TO USE FRESH SQUEEZED LEMON JUICE?
Since this recipe calls for lemon zest, you will have a lemon where the juice you can use from. If you plan on leaving out the lemon zest, you can use bottled lemon juice.
Now this will not taste the same and not using the lemon zest will take away a little of the internal lemon flavor but you should be fine.
HOW TO STORE:
This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze this cheesecake, this is best done before you place the lemon curd or toppings on it. To freeze, wrap your cheesecake in plastic wrap and then saran wrap.
Place your cheesecake in the freezer and it will keep for up to 3-4 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then spread with lemon curd and garnish.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- I highly suggest a water bath, this needs moisture in the oven to keep it from cracking.
- Make sure that this is fully cooled on the counter before placing it in the refrigeration, this will help with cracks and condensation.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
- Do not forget to turn your oven temperature down before placing your cheesecake in the oven.
- Make sure you wrap your cheesecake in foil, especially during a water bath so no water seeps in or cheesecake seeps out.
Lemon and cheesecake lover? then you have the perfect spring and summer dessert in this Lemon Cheesecake that you need to make ASAP!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this LEMON CHEESECAKE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
For the cheesecake:
- 32 ounces 4 8 ounce pkgs cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 10 ounces lemon curd
- Whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until combined.
- Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set in the refrigerator while making the filling.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth with no lumps. Slowly add in the sugar, scrape down the sides.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring the first one in completely before adding the next.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, stir to combine. Scrape down the sides, and mix for 5 more seconds.
- Wrap your pan with heavy duty foil. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and smooth out the top.
- Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water from the tap halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Place the cheesecake in the roasting pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 1 hour until the center is set. It will still be very slightly jiggly right in the center, that’s perfect.
- Take the cheesecake out of the oven and out of the roasting pan. Let cool on the counter to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or overnight is best.
- Remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Smooth lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake. You may need to microwave the curd until it is spreadable, do this in 20 second intervals, stirring in between.
- Garnish with whipped cream and serve.
Notes
- I highly suggest a water bath, this needs moisture in the oven to keep it from cracking.
- Make sure that this is fully cooled on the counter before placing in the refrigeration, this will help with cracks and condensation.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
- Do not forget to turn your oven temperature down before placing your cheesecake in the oven.
- Make sure you wrap your cheesecake in foil, especially during a water bath so no water seeps in or cheesecake seeps out.
Nutrition
Comments & Reviews
Mary says
Sour Cream is listed in your directions, but not in the list of ingredients. How much sour cream should be used? Thanks.
Dana DeVolk says
Sorry it’s 1 cup, I updated the recipe