Lemon Cheesecake topped with lemon curd

If I could choose a favorite dessert it probably would be lemon “something”; lemon meringue pie, lemon cookies, lemon poppy-seed bread and many more.  With Easter coming, lemon cheesecake obviously came to mind. Creamy, tangy, velvety rich,  a oh so very I-am-not-on-a-diet rich lemon cheesecake.

Please excuse me for a second while I get myself another slice.

Ok I am back.

I did shy away from making cheesecake for a long time, not really sure why but I think I had the notion they were difficult to make. Was I ever wrong. They aren’t complicated, a bit time-consuming, but worth every minutes of it. Let’s cut to the chase and get on with how to make this deliciousness.

Graham crust

• 1 1/2 cup crushed graham cracker crumb
• 1/4 sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until all the graham crumb are covered with butter. Transfer in a pie dish, pressing down the mixture to form a crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool down before filling.

Cream cheese filling

• 2 (250g) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Direction

In a mixer, cream the sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the lemon juice, zest, eggs and vanilla until all blended in. Pour into the pie crust placed in a water bath and baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

ready to be baked

in the water bath

Lemon Curd

• Zest of 2 lemons and juice of 3
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cream the butter and sugar together, add the zest and juice of the lemons and salt. Beat in 1 egg at the time mix until well combine. Pour the mixture in a sauce pan, cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until it thicken (about 10 minutes)

Remove from the heat and cool. Pour over the cheesecake and refrigerate over night

Enjoy

Tip: Baking in a water bath  will keep the oven moisture high and the heat gentle, and this will prevent cracking trough the middle of the cheesecake.