Heavenly Lemon Cheesecake Recipes

LOVELY LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 10-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan., In a small bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan; refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake 70-80 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., Remove rim from pan. If desired, top cheesecake with lemon slices.

SIMPLY PERFECT LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325F (not fan-assisted/not convection)
• Make the Crust: Add graham cracker crumbs to a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar. Pour the melted butter overtop, then stir until all the crumbs are moistened and have a wet sand texture. Add a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter.
• *If using an 8-inch springform pan, remove 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture, as you won't need it all for the base. You can reserve to sprinkle on top of the finished cake, if you like (sprinkle around the outside edge in a ring).
• Press the moist crumb mixture into the bottom of your springform pan. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to make sure the crust is really pressed down, to make it easiest to cut later on.
• Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on and set at 325F.
• Make the Filling: Combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is extremely smooth and well blended, a minute or two. Remove the lid of the food processor and scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor and try to reach under the blades if you can, to fine and incorporate any stubborn chunks of cream cheese. Process again briefly after scraping. (Getting a perfectly smooth batter at this point is important to prevent cracks in your finished cake, so take the time here to make sure it's well blended and smooth).
• Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest and a pinch of salt and keep processing until it's super smooth and creamy, another 30 seconds or so.
• Pour the filling into the baked crust *You may have some leftover filling if you are using a regular cake pan.
• Bake in preheated 325F oven until mostly set, with a little jiggle in the centre 3-4 inches, with the outsides looking set and puffy, about 20 to 30 minutes. The filling should not brown at all. Don't over-cook, as this can cause your cheesecake to crack.
• Turn the oven off and open the door a crack (inserting a wooden spoon in the crack will help it say open). Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack on the counter to cool completely.
• Once cooled completely, over the top of the springform pan with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• To serve, remove from springform pan. Topping option: citrus slices, a scattering of blueberries or blackberries, a mint leaf and a dusting of icing sugar, if you like.

HEAVENLY LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the pan bottom, keeping the sides as clean as possible.
• Bake until fragrant and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• When cool, wrap the outside of the pan with two 18-inch-square pieces of heavy-duty foil; set the springform pan in a roasting pan.
• For the filling: While the crust is cooling, process ¼ cup sugar and lemon zest in a food processor until the sugar is yellow and the zest is broken down, about 15 seconds.
• Transfer the lemon sugar to a small bowl; add the remaining 1 cup sugar.
• In a standing mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on low to soften slightly, about 5 seconds.
• With the machine running, add the sugar mixture in a slow steady stream; increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until the mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Reduce speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time; beat until incorporated-about 30 seconds.
• Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well after each addition as needed.
• Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
• Mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds; add the heavy cream and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds longer.
• Give the batter a final scrape, stir with a rubber spatula, and pour into the prepared springform pan; fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to fill halfway up the sides of springform pan.
• Bake 55 to 60 minutes and until the center jiggles slightly, the sides just start to puff, and the surface is no longer shiny.
• An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the cake should register 150 degrees.
• Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door with a potholder; allow the cake to cool in the water bath in the oven for 1 hour.
• Remove foil and the transfer the cake pan to a wire rack; run a small paring knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen, and cool the cake to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• For the lemon curd: While the cheesecake bakes, heat the lemon juice in a small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
• Whisk the eggs and yolk in a medium nonreactive bowl; gradually whisk in the sugar.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot lemon juice into the eggs, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to cling to a spoon, about 3 minutes.
• Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cold butter until incorporated; stir in the cream, vanilla, and salt, then pour the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a small nonreactive bowl.
• Cover the surface of the curd directly with plastic wrap (not just the bowl- to avoid forming a"skin") refrigerate until needed.
• To finish the cake: When cheesecake is cool, spread the lemon curd onto the cheesecake using an offset spatula.
• Spread the curd evenly over the top of the cheesecake.
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan and cut into wedges.
• This is a wonderful but RICH cheesecake, so keep the portions small!

HEAVENLY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Mix cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press evenly in bottom of springform pan, 10x3 or 9x3 inches. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
• Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla, melted baking chips and half-and-half until blended. Pour over crust; smooth top.
• Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set; cool 15 minutes. Run metal spatula around side of cheesecake to loosen. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, but no longer than 48 hours. Remove side of pan. Top cheesecake with strawberries. Garnish with mint leaves. Store covered in refrigerator.

CLASSIC LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingertips to form a rough dough. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of a lightly greased 8" round springform pan lined with non-stick parchment paper. Bake the crust for 30 minutes or until golden and just cooked. Set aside.
• To make the filling, place the cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Place the cornstarch and water in bowl and mix until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the cheese mixture and mix to combine. Pour over the crust and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until light golden and just set. Turn the oven off and allow to cool in the oven with the door closed. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold. Top with the whipped cream to serve.

CREAMY LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place a 9-in. springform pan coated with cooking spray on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan., In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° until set, 6-9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheeses and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake at 325° until center is almost set, 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine the sour cream, 4 teaspoons sugar and vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer., Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer., In a small heavy saucepan, combine the cornstarch, salt and remaining sugar. Stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat., Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the lemon juice, butter and lemon zest. Cool to room temperature without stirring., Spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan.

LUSCIOUS LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and press on the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix until just blended.
• Stir in zest and juice from lemon.
• Pour mixture into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set.
• Cool completely, then refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours.
• Top with Cool Whip and garnish with lemon slices.