Loads of fresh lemon juice and zest make this lemon cheesecake irresistible. Baked to fluffy perfection and finished with a raspberry drizzle, I hope you love this lemon cheesecake as much as I do. It's the perfect make-ahead dessert recipe, and makes for a fabulous birthday cake!
Baked cheesecake recipes have to be my favorite dessert! Specifically Lemon Cheesecake with a heavy drizzle of a raspberry coulis. This make ahead lemon cheesecake calls for fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract. If you don't like as much lemon flavor then leave now. Just kidding 🙂 Lemon is so refreshing and makes what is normally a heavy dessert, Cheesecake, taste lighter.
I adore making cheesecakes (check out these delicious cheesecake recipes) but they are a tad bit time-consuming, not active time, the cooling and chill time is longer so I suggest making this the day before you want to serve it.
The Lemon Lovers Line Up
- Fresh Lemon Juice + Zest: I always use fresh lemons here - I've found bottled juice just doesn't give the same bright, clean flavor. After testing this cheesecake recipe a a few times I found fresh juice and zest provide the best flavor.
- Cream Cheese: I always let it fully soften before mixing because I've found that's the key to getting a silky cheesecake batter with no lumps.
- Sour Cream / Greek Yogurt: I like adding this because it lightens the texture slightly and adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness.
- Lemon Zest in Sugar: I always rub the zest into the sugar first - it helps release the citrus oils and makes the lemon flavor much stronger throughout the cheesecake.
- Raspberry Coulis: I've found the raspberry sauce really makes this cheesecake stand out because the tart berry flavor cuts through the richness perfectly.
For another lemon berry treat check our this lemon and blueberry cheesecake.
Featured Review
"This is the first time I've made a "real" cheesecake in a springform pan. I brought it to a restaurant for my son's birthday and everyone LOVED it! I gave our waiter a piece and he was in awe as well, so I gave him another and he was in heaven. Birthday boy got the rest. It is so light compared to other cheesecakes; I was surprised."
Karen
My Tested Method for a Smooth Cheesecake
Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar is helping release the oils from the zest infuse into each sugar granule to create a stronger, deeper lemon flavor. This step alone honestly helps make this recipe the best lemon cheesecake.
I like to serve with raspberry coulis alongside. There. you have it, my scrumptious lemon cheesecake recipe! This creamy chocolate chip cheesecake is another delicious family favorite.
Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Baked Lemon Cheesecake with Golden Oreo Crust
Loads of fresh lemon juice and zest make this lemon cheesecake irresistible. Baked to fluffy perfection and finished with a raspberry drizzle, I hope you love this lemon cheesecake as much as I do. It's the perfect make-ahead dessert recipe, and makes for a fabulous birthday cake!
- Total Time: 11 Hours 50 Minutes
- Yield: 10-12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 -12 oz package Golden Oreos, crushed
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Unsalted Butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 24oz Cream Cheese, completely softened to room temp.
- 200 grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Heavy Whipping Cream, at room temperature
- 4oz (½ Cup) Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt, at room temperature
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- ½ Teaspoon Pure Lemon Extract
- 2 Large Eggs + 2 Large Egg Yolks, at room temperature
Topping
- Freshly Whipped Cream
- Raspberry Coulis
- Fresh Lemon
Instructions
Crust
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan set aside. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Crush the whole Oreos into a fine crumb, I do this in my food processor but you can place them in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin until fine crumbs are fined.
- In a small bowl combine Oreos and melted butter mix until wet sand texture is formed. Press into bottom and slightly up upsides of prepared pan. Bake for 5-8 minutes just until set and lightly golden brown.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a handheld electric mixer beat cream cheese for 3 minutes on medium to high speed.
- In a large bowl with clean hands rub the lemon zest into the sugar, this will take a few minutes. This is helping release the oils from the zest infuse into each sugar granule to create a stronger, deeper lemon flavor.
- Add sugar-lemon mixture to cream cheese and beat for another 3 minutes on medium speed. Add heavy cream, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon extract- mixing until fully combined. It is crucial to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined. Add in eggs one at a time, it is important to mix the cheesecake on low at this point, you do not want to incorporate any air into the batter, this will cause cracks. Mix until the last egg yolk is mixed in, you should have a creamy batter with no lumps.
- Pour into the prepared pan. Place 9-inch springform pan in a 10-inch cake pan- place cake pan in roasting pan or a large deep oven-proof saucepan and fill roasting pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the cake pan. This prevents ANY water from getting in the cheesecake and you don't have to wrap everything with foil. You can wrap the springform pan in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place it in the roasting pan if you do not have a larger cake pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, the middle of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit. You can use an instant-read digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the center of the cheesecake has reached 145F/63C. Turn the oven off and leave the door open just a little bit, some people use a wooden spoon to help keep it just slightly open, and let cool in the oven for 1 hour then take out of roasting pan and cool on a wire rack for one hour then wrap with plastic wrap. Let the cheesecake chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Assembly
- The next day take the cheesecake out of the fridge and use an angled spatula to gently loosen the crust from the sides then carefully remove the springform sides. Use the angled spatula to now gently release the crust from the bottom of the pan and use a large cake spatula to move the cheesecake from the base pan to a serving plate.
- Top with fresh whipped cream and lemon zest. Serve raspberry sauce alongside. Leftovers will keep in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Total Time includes Chill Time
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cool Time: 10 Hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Glad you're back! If just to share this lovely cheesecake 😀 Hope your oven fixings work out 🙂
Valentina Fox says
This is a lovely recipe. The only thing I did different was make a lemon curd as the topping instead of raspberry. After the cheesecake cooled I spread the lemon curd and out in the refrigerator overnight. Then I did what you suggested Piped on the whipped cream and a little of the lemon zest on the whipped cream. It was very good.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Valentina, thanks so much for coming back to star rate and review the recipe! I am so pleased you enjoyed the cheesecake, lemon curd is a great addition!! Take care. XX Liz
Gurpreet Kaur says
Absolutely delicious… this is so easy you just gather the ingredients, mix them. Just take extra cautions if you read the tips at top of this page, i don’t think cake should have any problem.
Thank you Elizabeth for this yum recipe. I love it.
GK
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi GK thank you for the lovely review, so glad you enjoyed the cheesecake! One of my all time faves-the tart lemon and creamy cheesecake! XX Liz
Madelaine says
Made this cheesecake for my birthday and everybody loved it! So delicious, great texture, and the perfect amount of lemon flavor.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Madelaine, thank you so much for the lovely review! so glad you enjoyed the cheesecake for your birthday!! Happy belated!! Hope it was a good one! Take care. XX Liz
Karen Brattain-Metzger says
This is the first time I've made a "real" cheesecake in a springform pan. I brought it to a restaurant for my son's birthday and everyone LOVED it! I gave our waiter a piece and he was in awe as well, so I gave him another and he was in heaven. Birthday boy got the rest. It is so light compared to other cheesecakes; I was surprised.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Karen, thank you so much for the lovely 5-star review. It makes me so happy to hear you have ventured into the cheesecake-baking world! They are honestly one of my favorite desserts to make. This lemon one really is melt-in-your-mouth delicious! So glad you enjoyed it!! Take care. XX Liz