Love delicious, creamy and citrusy desserts? You need to whip up this Lemon Cheesecake right! Easy, tasty, and absolutely a irresistible! One dessert no one will turn down.

Lemon has always been one of my favorite flavors around. Since I was young I would always gravitate towards anything lemon flavored whether it be savory or sweet.

My mom is a huge lemon fan like me and she loves this cheesecake as well, when she knows that I’m making it, somehow my parents always end up with at least half of it.

We love making this Lemon Cheesecake, especially during the spring and summertime, but any time of the year is lemon time for me, I don’t discriminate.

Cheesecake is also one of my favorite things on this planet and is one of those desserts that gets made so often I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made a cheesecake.

It is the ONE recipe that everyone who ever throws a get-together always asks me to bring because they love it. I mean what is not to love about a Lemon Cheesecake? The flavors are classic.

If you want a dessert that your neighbors and family will be asking you to bring to all the functions this spring and summer then you need to keep this recipe in your arsenal.

Some of our other favorite lemon recipes include Lemon Ricotta Cake, Lemon Poppyseed Cake, and this super tasty Lemon Tart.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Easily available ingredients help make this cheesecake easy to whip up.
The baking process used in this recipe ensures a top that will not crack.
It produces a luscious lemon flavor that you can tone down or punch up to your liking with a beautiful shade of yellow

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)

Graham cracker crumbs
Granulated sugar
Unsalted butter
Cream cheese
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Lemon juice
Lemon zest
Lemon curd
Whipped cream

HOW TO MAKE LEMON CHEESECAKE, STEP BY STEP:

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, 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.

HOW TO KEEP A CHEESECAKE FROM CRACKING:

My theory and upon testing cheesecakes for many years is that you must always bake in a water bath or have a pan of water underneath your cheesecake in the oven.

This releases moisture into the oven that helps your cheesecake not dry out on top in the baking process.

Also reducing the cooking temperature and then leaving it in the oven after turning off the heat and letting it sit for an additional hour helps it slowly finish cooking without jeopardizing the top of the cheesecake.

WHY DO I HAVE TO LET MY CHEESECAKE COOL BEFORE REFRIGERATING?

This is an important step when it comes to making cheesecake. It absolutely needs to cool completely before you place it in the refrigerator.

This again helps the cheesecake from cracking and it also helps allow the cheesecake to pull gently away from the sides of the pan so when you remove your springform nothing will stick.

Please do not skip this step and place in the refrigerator right after taking out of the oven, it is still baking and we need that process to stop slowly rather than quickly.

CAN I MAKE MY OWN LEMON CURD?

Absolutely! If you do not want to use store bought, which we did because of the ease you can make your own favorite lemon curd recipe and use if for this Lemon Cheesecake.

WHAT SIZE PAN SHOULD I USE?

For most of our cheesecakes we use a 9-inch springform pan. You can use a 10-inch springform pan if you’d like you will just have a larger cheesecake that won’t be as thick.

You will still cook for the same amount of time, but you will have a few more servings if you were to bake it in a larger pan.

HOW TO STORE:

This Lemon Cheesecake should last in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days when properly wrapped in plastic wrap or tinfoil.

This can also be frozen, I suggest without topping. Bake and cool as directed, once cooled in the refrigerator, remove your springform pan sides and place the lemon cheesecake uncovered in the freezer for about one hour.

Then remove the cheesecake and remove it from the bottom of the springform pan. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight container or a large ziplock bag, this should keep for about 3-4 months. Spread lemon curd on before serving.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Adding in eggs one at a time ensures that will be evenly distributed.
Beat your cream cheese really well before adding in any other ingredients. This helps get the lumps out.
Scrape down the sides of your bowl periodically when mixing, this will also help with keeping lumps out of your cheesecake.
DO NOT SKIP the water bath! If you cannot find a pan large enough to fit your springform pan in, place a pan filled with water on the rack underneath your cheesecake instead.
Make sure to let the pan cool in the oven after the cheesecake is done baking, this is an essential part of the cooking step.
Want the perfect cut slice of cheesecake? Warm-up a knife with hot water, wipe off and then slice cheesecake.
Use store-bought or homemade lemon curd or use none at all.
This can be frozen, see my tips above
Although this Lemon Cheesecake Recipe is time-consuming, cheesecake is always worth it in the end.
We top this specific one with lemon curd, you can buy store-bought (which we did) or make your own homemade version as well.

Lemon fan with a sweet tooth like me and want a little lemon in your life? Then you need to make this Lemon Cheesecake ASAP! You can thank me later for this easy to follow recipe.

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Lemon Cheesecake