12 Days of Sugar – Day 4
This Lemon Cheesecake is creamy, rich and absolutely delicious. A graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake layer, followed by a sweet sour cream layer and finished off with a lemon glaze. It’s amazing!
Day 4 brings the most delicious Lemon Cheesecake to the table. This cheesecake actually made it’s first debut in my 12 Days of Sugar back in 2014 (yikes, I’ve been doing this sugar craze longer than I thought). It’s so good that it is definitely worthy of being part of my 12 Days of Sugar yet again with some updated photos and instructions.
My obsession with cheesecake is real my friends and this lemon cheesecake is one of my all-time favorites. Probably 25+ years ago my aunt gave me and my siblings each a springform pan along with three of her favorite cheesecake recipes for Christmas. This lemon cheesecake was one of those recipes. I absolutely love it!
I remember I made it for Thanksgiving one year (along with probably at least 10 other desserts (yes my family has dessert issues). It was a huge hit! The day after Thanksgiving my sister stopped by for another piece along with my nephew and niece.
This cheesecake is creamy, smooth, and decadent. The lemon is so refreshing . . .I really wish you could reach through the screen with a fork and taste this, you would be in cheesecake heaven.
Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. . . super important!
- Fresh lemon juice is best, but you can use bottled if you’re in a pinch. Also, before you juice your lemons, roll them on the countertop, pressing them with the heel of your hand to loosen them up. This will get the juices flowing
- Always zest the lemon before you juice it. It’s not easy to zest a lemon that has already been juiced!
- DO NOT forget to place the springform pan on a baking sheet before you put this in the oven to bake. The baking sheet will catch any butter that melts out of the springform pan during the baking time.
- The cheesecake needs to be fully chilled before serving. I always chill it overnight, but 4 to 5 hours should suffice if you’re in a pinch.
MAKE AHEAD: I love that this cheesecake can be made ahead of time, which makes it perfect for the holidays. I think it’s even better when it has been in the refrigerator for a full day, so it’s a great one to make it ahead! I have actually made this two days ahead of when I needed it and it was still perfection!
This would be delicious topped with some fresh raspberries or even a drizzle of raspberry sauce. The whipped cream is optional, but highly recommended!
This would be the perfect dessert to finish off that holiday meal. You will love it!
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Lemon Cheesecake
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
Description
This lemon cheesecake is divine, it’s the perfect dessert this holiday season or anytime of the year.♡
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
CHEESECAKE FILLING:
- 3 pkgs. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon rind
SOUR CREAM LAYER:
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
LEMON GLAZE:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Whipped cream for garnish, optional
Instructions
To make crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes and then set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
To make filling:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese for about 1 minute. Add the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon rind. Mix until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and beat with a fork until mixed well. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and mix just until the eggs are incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give it a few good stirs with a rubber spatula making sure there are no lumps.
- Pour the batter into the crust and smooth the top. Give the pan a light tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Place cheesecake on a cookie sheet (the cookie sheet will catch any thing that might drip from the sprinfform pan) and put in the oven. Bake at at 325 degrees for 70 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully spoon the sour cream layer on top and spread evenly (Cheesecake will be puffy and will most likely sink a little after you put this later on, that’s ok!) Put back in the oven and bake for 12 more minutes. Turn the oven off and crack the oven door open. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and spread lemon glaze on top without (do not remove it from the springform pan). Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours or preferably overnight.
Sour Cream Layer:
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Set aside while cheesecake bakes.
- Remove cheesecake from oven, carefully pour the sour cream mixture on top and gently spread it evenly on top of cheesecake. Bake another 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and leave on counter for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cool, but not completely chilled. Spread lemon glaze on top and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
To make the glaze:
- Blend all ingredients in a saucepan. Boil 3 mins, stirring constantly. Chill until cool and spread over cheesecake.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 85 minutes
- Category: Desserts
Just three words……Oh my gosh!!!!
Craving a slice of this right now! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
The recipe instructions call for eggs, but there are none listed in the ingredients? How many?
Oops, sorry about that Kandi. It’s three eggs, I’ve fixed it. Thanks for catching that.
Awesome! Thanks for that! I guesstimated 3 eggs when I made it and it turned out great!
Would love to make this for my birthday coming up soon. What size springform pan did you use? I have a few different sizes. Thanks!
I use a 9″ springform pan. Oh I hope you have a chance to make this! It is soooo good! Happy Birthday!
Do you use parchment paper for the bottom and side of the springform pan?
And how far up the side does the crust go?
Hi James! I take the crust up the sides about 1-inch. I don’t use parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, but I do place the pan on a thin cookie sheet when I put it in the oven.
Thank you. Also, a waterbath isn’t necessary?
No, I never do a water bath for this cheesecake.