Zesty Lemon Cheesecake

Loads of fresh lemon juice and zest make this Lemon Cheesecake irresistible. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this cheesecake recipe. Finished with a raspberry coulis you will love this Lemon Cheesecake dessert. The perfect make-ahead dessert recipe and a fabulous birthday cake! 

SO... I made this Cheesecake for Easter. And my life has been all over the place since I last blogged in November (eeeeeek).

Working in the restaurant industry December is a crazy busy month, then I went on holiday to England, Amsterdam, Prague, and Dublin. Then I had to get back into the swing of things at work. And then the oven nightmare began.

The oven stopped working, the lighter would not light. The oven is 1.5 years old. Basically, the oven saga started at the beginning of April and Sears was a PAIN in the BUTT! Sears sent us a company they hire and the guys were USELESS! We demanded a Sears rep and we got one. But each guy had a new idea of why it wasn't working. It was fixed a total of 6 times until now they have officially decided we can get a new oven. Mind you 6 times means 12 visits. And in between the oven has worked then one day just doesn't. Believe me, when you have cracked the eggs, whisked the cream...etc and then when you turn your oven on and you can't bake it... it is SOOO frustrating.

So we are going to look at ovens later this week and do some major research. Hopefully, by the end of next week, I will be living with a working oven again.

But on to what is really important here cheesecake. Baked cheesecakes have to be my favorite dessert! Specifically Lemon Cheesecake with a heavy drizzle of a rapsberry coulis.

This recipe 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 but they are a tad bit time-consuming. I find it easiest to bake the cheesecake around 8 pm done by 9:30/10 then let it sit in the oven for an hour or so and then wrap and chill overnight.

I hope you love this as much as my family and friends did!

Let's get to the recipe.

About the Ingredients

There are two components to a cheesecake the crust and the filling.

For the crust you will need whole Golden Oreos and melted butter, I prefer to use slated butter bu unsalted will work just fine too. You could also make a graham cracker crust with sugar, melted butter, and graham cracker crumbs.

For the cheesecake filling you will need:

• Cream Cheese. It is imperative that the cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature. You can do this quickly by placing the foil-wrapped blocks of cream cheese in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes, you want softened cream cheese not melted though!
• Granulated Sugar. You could also use caster sugar.
• Fresh Lemon Zest. You will rub the lemon into the sugar to create a lemon-scented sugar, it really helps create the base lemon flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. You'll want this at room temperature as well, you could quickly microwave it or warm it on the stove.
• Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt. Make sure you use full fat and make sure it is at room temperature.
• Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice. Make sure not to get any lemon seeds in!
• Pure Lemon Extract. I like to just add a smidge to really get the lemon flavor punch!
• Eggs. You will use whole eggs and egg yolks, this helps create a really rich delicious texture and flavor. Again your eggs need to be at room temperature, you can quickly do this by placing them in a bowl of warm water before cracking.

Now you could enjoy the cheesecake as is but I like to top and decorate the cheesecake with lemon zest, Freshly Whipped Cream, and Raspberry Coulis.

Instructions

The first thing is first you need a properly heated oven and the proper equipment. I know it's a pain to have a special kind of pan but trust me it is crucial you use a springform pan so the cheesecake comes out nicely.

I also like to grease my pan, a 9-inch springform pan, then set it aside. Preheat the 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 the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan. I use my fingertips to press the sides then use a measuring cup to really pack the base crumbs in tightly.

Bake for 5-8 minutes just until set and lightly golden brown.

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. Your cream cheese should be smooth and creamy, with no lumps. If your cream cheese is not completely softened to room temperature you will end up with lumps!

In another 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. This step alone honestly helps make this recipe the best lemon cheesecake.

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 the cheesecake filling 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 off the oven 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. It is very important you let the cheesecake cool completely before placing it in the fridge to preveny cracks. Let the cheesecake chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

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 lifter to move the cheesecake from the base pan to a serving plate.

Top with fresh whipped cream and lemon zest. Serve with raspberry coulis alongside. There. you have it, my scrumptious lemon cheesecake recipe!

Leftovers will keep in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.

More cheesecake recipes

If you're looking for a cheesecake that doesn't need to bake then try my no-bake cheesecake recipe.

For another delicious lemon dessert try my lemon curd cheesecake recipe.

One of my family's favorite cheesecakes has got to be my Coffee Cheesecake recipe.

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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