I have been making this lemon cheesecake recipe for many years. It dates back to the 80’s and has been a regular summer entertaining dessert for me since then. I especially love that not only can it be made ahead, it’s actually better if you make it the day before serving.
This special, pretty cake requires a few steps but trust me … it’s worth it!
Lovely Lemon Cheesecake
Summary: This is a beautiful and tasty cheesecake. The light lemon taste is perfect any time but especially nice for spring and summer.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 26 crackers)
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- For the filling:
- 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups white granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- For the topping:
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- For the glaze:
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
- Thinly sliced lemon rounds, halved and twisted
Instructions
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, blend graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in bowl. Press this mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 5 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Cool thoroughly.
- For the filling: Preheat oven to 350° F. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until soft. Gradually blend in sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla. Pour into crust. Bake until slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. Leave oven temperature at 350° F.
- For the topping: Blend all ingredients in small bowl. Spread on top of cake. Bake 15 minutes; topping will not look set. Cool for 30 minutes.
- For the glaze: Combine water, lemon juice and yolk in heavy small saucepan. Stir in sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to boil over low heat, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. Add butter and lemon peel and stir until butter melts. Cool glaze for 20 minutes.
- Spread glaze on cake. Cool completely. Refrigerate until well chilled. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.) Garnish with lemon slices. Serve cold.
Prep time: 30 min | Cook time: 55 min | Total time: 1 hour 25 min
Number of servings (yield): 12
Source: Bon Appetit November 1988 | Photo
Beautiful! I’m going to make this lemon cheesecake Saturday for my son’s arrival; he loves lemon cheesecake! I wonder if it will still taste great made with Splenda? Anyone who knows, please reply. Thanks for the awesome site and recipes!
Hi Kesha and thanks! I have absolutely no experience baking with Splenda. Maybe someone can offer some advice.
This lemon cheesecake looks awesomely delicious!
Great recipe! Lemon recipes catch my eye because my dh loves lemon.
A suggestion to enhance the creaminess of cheesecake: with your recipe (1-1/2 lb cream cheese + 1 cup sugar + 3 eggs) add 1 cup sour cream. That sour cream is MUCH better than cornstarch or flour (yuck!).
It is lovely, Ninette! Hope you get a chance to try it. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the link to your site. I enjoyed reading your yummy recipes!
What a lovely recipe!