How to make a great lemon curd cheesecake
I always preferred something a little bit sour to sweet growing up. So naturally, when I discovered lemon curd, I was sold! Lemon meringue, lemon drinks, anything with lemon I always love! This is the best lemon curd cheesecake recipe I have ever made and it’s got the perfect balance of sweet and sour. I know that lemon is a very overpowering taste and I didn’t want that to be the only flavour in this cheesecake. So the sweetness does balance it out well.
I used tennis biscuits for the crust and if you aren’t from South Africa, these are sweet, coconut biscuits. I felt that this would counter the lemon well, without over taking it. The cheesecake itself is seriously creamy and smooth! It truly is such a great recipe that you can adapt it as you wish for almost any cheesecake. I really hope you guys love “the best lemon curd cheesecake recipe” and please do tag me if you make it!
Bon Apetit,
Zorah
How to make this cheesecake the best?
Here are a few tips from me on how to make this cheesecake amazing. After making cheesecakes for a while, I have learned a few things that can really take your cheesecake from good to amazing in a few steps.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This always helps ingredients combine together well during the baking process.
- Use fresh lemons. I know that buying lemon juice is easier but honestly, you can taste the difference between fresh and store bought (if you care that is).
- Use very good quality cream cheese. I use the medium fat plain cream cheese from Lancewood. I think it does an amazing job and it lasts very long in the fridge too.
- Make sure your cake tin is air tight. This will make a difference when you are using the water bath. If the water seeps in, you will end up with a soggy crust. And let’s be honest, no one really wants that.
How long does lemon curd last for?
The lemon in lemon curd does help it to last for a very long time. I usually store mine for up to 3.5 weeks. Make sure it is in an airtight container and reminds in the fridge until needed. If you find that it might be too stiff , simply use a spatula to whip it a bit and it will relax and become more runny.
The Best Lemon Curd Cheesecake Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium8-10
servings25
minutes1
hourIf you’re a lover of lemons, this cheesecake will blow your mind! It is tangy and sweet in all the right ways! The cheesecake base itself is smooth and creamy.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for crust
1 1/2 sheets of digestive biscuits
5 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Ingredients for cheesecake
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 x 230g medium fat cream cheese
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup full fat yoghurt
2 tsp. vanilla essence
3 large eggs, room temperature
- Toppings
Lemon curd
Directions
- Method for crust
- Preheat your oven to 180C.
- In a blender, add in your biscuits and sugar and blitz until fine.
- Then add in the melted butter and blitz again.
- The crust should feel like wet sand but not soggy.
- Press the crust into the base of a cake tin (22cm), making sure some of the crust comes up on the sides.
- Bake int he oven for 7-9 minutes.
- When it’s done, remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Cheesecake
- In a stand mixer with a creaming tool attachment, add in the cream cheese and sugar and mix on a low to medium speed until the cream cheese is smooth and soft.
- Then add in the vanilla essence, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix again.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time.
- Lastly, add in the yoghurt and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust and smooth the top.
- Now prepare your water bath.
- Take a dish that is larger than the cake tin (making sure it can fit in comfortably).
- Pour in boiling water so the cake tin will will be submerged in the water. The water should rise about 5cm from the base of the cake tin, it does not need to be filled to the brim.
- Secure the cake tin by covering the base well with foil, to make sure the water does not leak in.
- Once the cake tin is in the water bath, place the whole thing in the oven and bake for 50-70 minutes.
- After 45 minutes shake the cake slightly, if the middle wobbles a bit the cake is practically done.
- Switch the oven off and open the door slightly and let the cake sit in the oven for an hour in the water bath.
- If the top of the cake starts to burn a bit, place a sheet of foil on top to avoid the cheesecake burning.
- Afterwards, remove the cheesecake and take it out of the water bath and allow it to cool.
- Then refrigerate the cheesecake for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Topping
- After the cheesecake is set, spread a thin layer of lemon curd on top and place it back into he fridge for 2 hours to let it set.
- Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
