Lemon Lover’s Cheesecake

Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

This dessert was not planned. I am happy I made it, though.  I had picked up a bag of Meyer lemons the other day, with no specific use in mind. I was probably going to use them in drinks, or maybe in a savory dish.

Later, a friend posted a picture of lemon bars she had baked.  That got me thinking about lemon desserts.  It also got me thinking about ingredients I already had. I had some graham cracker crumbs and I had cream cheese.

Lemon cheesecake made sense. But I couldn’t forget about my friend, and those lemon bars. So, I decided to also make a batch of lemon curd- and use it to top the cheesecake.

It worked out even better than I thought. Lots of lemon flavor in a creamy cheesecake. The lemon curd brought even more lemon to the party. Just wonderful.

You don’t have to use Meyer lemons. Other lemons are also going to work just fine. The Meyer lemons are a little less tart than other lemons, with floral notes in the zest.

So here is the recipe. I used a 9×9 inch glass pan to bake the cheesecake- rather than the normal spring form pan. Kind of an homage to the lemon bars.

Lemon Lover’s Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

Crust:

1½ c. graham cracker crumbs

3 T. sugar

4 T. melted butter

Filling:

2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

¾ c. sugar

2 T. flour

2 eggs

3 T. lemon juice

2 t. grated lemon peel

Lemon Curd: recipe below

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan- I used a glass pan. In medium bowl, combine  crumbs and sugar, then add melted butter. Toss to distribute butter evenly. Press into bottom of prepared pan and bake 10 minutes.  Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in juice and peel. Pour over crust and bake for 30 minutes, or until set. Cool then top with lemon curd. Chill well before cutting. Store covered in fridge. Serves 8-10.

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

1/2 c. lemon juice

zest from one good sized lemon- you should have 2-3 teaspoons

1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

6 T. unsalted butter- cut into little cubes

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Whisk the mixture until the eggs are well blended. Cook over medium low heat, whisking often, until the mixture thickens. This will take 5-7 minutes. Whisk more often as mixtures warms and starts to thicken. Better to heat over lower heat and take longer than cook over too high a heat. You don’t want the eggs to scramble. Once the mixture is thickened , transfer to a bowl or jar. Cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the surface from developing a skin- like any pudding will do. Chill until ready to use. Makes about 2 cups. Will keep in fridge a week or two.

Note: For using with this cheesecake, just make the lemon curd while the cheesecake is baking. Pour over the cheesecake while the curd is still a little warm, to make it easier to spread.