“This lemon cheesecake is so rich and creamy! The light and refreshing lemon flavor is perfection!”
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this recipe for lemon cheesecake! It’s rich, creamy and full of bold citrus flavor. If you are looking for a delicious, lemony dessert…please…look no further because this lemon cheesecake with a lemon curd topping has it all!
It reminds me of a true southern favorite … the cold, refreshing lemon icebox pie served at just about any B-B-Q restaurant here in the south.
Yummy!
Lemon Cheesecake
Homemade Lemon Curd Topping
This already delicious, lemon cheesecake is topped off with a homemade lemon curd that makes the flavor really pop!
Lemon curd is very easy to make and it only takes about 10-15 minutes. The only hard thing about it is having to whisk constantly until it thickens, but the end result is worth it.
If you don’t want to make homemade lemon curd, you can always buy it pre-made from your grocery store!
The Crust is Perfectly Sweetened with Light Brown Sugar
The graham cracker crust is perfectly sweetened with light brown sugar. This really adds a nice richness to the crust that you can’t get with regular granulated sugar.
Lemon Cheesecake is even better with Homemade Whipped Cream!
Big dollops of homemade whipped cream on the top help to marry all of the sweet and tart flavors together into one big delicious bite!
Use a Water Bath to bake the Perfect Lemon Cheesecake!
I love to use the water-bath method when baking cheesecakes to help the cheesecake to bake more evenly. Because the water-bath bakes the cheesecake extra gently, the filling will be smooth and the top will be less likely to crack as well. The sides of the cheesecake will bake to a nice light color instead of browning and over-baking.
If you’ve never used a water-bath, check out my video to find out how easy it is!
Tip: One of my readers told me that instead of using a water-bath, she placed a large pan of hot water on the rack below the cheesecake. This created steam in the oven to keep the cheesecake moist and also caught any drips from the spring-form pan. Thanks Pam!
The center of cheesecake will by jiggly when it comes out of the oven!
When the cheesecake comes out of the oven, the center will be JIGGLY. This is normal. The cheesecake will set up overnight in the fridge perfectly!
If you bake the cheesecake until it’s firm in the center, it will be over-baked!
Other Cheesecake recipe you might like!
- Tiramisu Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Cheesecake
- Banana Cream Pie Cheesecake
- Key Lime Cheesecake
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
If you tried this Lemon Cheesecake recipe let me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! Make sure to RATE this recipe and leave me a message in the comment section below! Follow me on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM to see more yummy food!
Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd Topping
Ingredients
Crust
- 1.5 cups 127 g crushed graham crackers
- 1/4 cup 50 g light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons 57 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 32 oz. 1000 g cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons 55 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup 227 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup 230 g sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup 30 g flour
Lemon Curd
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup 151 g sugar
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 stick 113 g unsalted butter, cubed
Whipped Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper.
Graham Cracker Crust
- Place ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a fork until fully combined.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the spring-form pan making sure that the crust is firmly packed.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Turn oven down to 320°.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- Using a stand or electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to insure everything is being mixed evenly.
- Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on low until well blended.
- Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the sour cream and flour and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
- Remember not to over mix to avoid incorporating air into the batter.
- Pour the filling into the spring-form pan and smooth the top with an off-set spatula.
- Gently tap the spring-form pan a few times on a hard surface to release any air bubbles.
- Place in the water bath and bake for 1 hour.
- Turn the oven off, crack the door and allow the cheesecake to cool inside of the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake, run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pan and let it continue to cool to room temperature.
- Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight to set.
Lemon Curd
- Add 1 inch of water into a medium sauce pan and heat until it is at a gentle simmer.
- In a medium glass bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice together until well combined.
- Place the bowl on top of the sauce pan and continue to whisk constantly for about 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. You can check with a thermometer if you'd like. You want the mixture to be at 160°.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the cubed butter until it has melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Let the lemon curd cool to room temperature, pour into an airtight container and then place in the refrigerator to set.
Whipped Cream
Assembly
- Remove the cheesecake from the spring-form pan.
- Spread the lemon curd evenly on top of the cheesecake and smooth with an off-set spatula.
- Using a piping bag, pipe dollops of whipped cream on top to decorate.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Lauren says
It was my first time baking a cheesecake and I was nervous because I only like a specific kind of cheesecake. Well, it turns out this one put my favorite one to shame! This one is even better. It was perfect! Thank you!
Caren F Harvey says
Fantastic! I have made other lemon cheescakes using heavy cream, but I had none at the time of this baking. This one uses sour cream and wow what difference in texture and heaviness. I also used, lemon sandwich cookies for the crust with a little butter. It was a 3 layer lemon blast to the tasre buds. Thank you my new cheesecake base.
Linda Mays says
Absolutely loved this recipe. My family really enjoyed it. Will make again. The water bath was a major help. Never used this technique before, but no cracks or browing. The cake was perfect.
Alexis O'Hara says
Have made this as a 9 in and loved it. My goal is to make the recipe and use 2 six inch springform pans. Any advice on the baking instructions for this?
Amy Duska says
I would reduce the baking time to 40-45 minutes. Keep an eye so that it doesn’t over bake!
courtneyha says
I haven’t had much luck with a water bath. I loved your cheesecake bars because they didn’t require the bath! Do you think this recipe would work without the water bath?!
Amy Duska says
It will definitely work without a water bath. I would check for doneness about 15 minutes earlier and keep an eye on it. One of the reasons I like to use the water bath for this recipe, is that it keeps the sides of the cheesecake a light color, instead of browning.
Laraine says
I do t have sour cream. Would Greek vanilla yogurt work? Maybe leave out the vanilla? Thank you!
Amy Duska says
I’ve not used greek yogurt but I think it’s worth a try!
Laraine says
Ok I’ll give it a try and let you know. Thank you!
Autumn says
I used plain Greek yogurt because my sour cream went before I realized it—it was still incredibly delicious!
Amy Duska says
Thanks for sharing Autumn! 🙂
Trisha says
Will this recipe work with a 10 inch pan? I can only find half on my 9 inch. Thanks!!
Amy Duska says
Yes, it will!
Trisha says
Thank you!!!
Jennifer F says
I made this cheesecake and it was divine! I love the base recipe and now I use it for all of my cheesecakes by just omitting the lemon juice and using whatever other flavor I choose. It’s the perfect cheesecake recipe for taste and volume because it fills my pan just perfectly. Thank you for sharing it