Lemon Cheesecake
Description
An animal cracker cookie crust? Yep. Then it is topped with a creamy, rich tart lemon curd. But don't be in a hurry to make and serve this wonderful, heavenly dessert. All good things take time and this one certainly does. So be sure to make it well in ad
Ingredients
Crust:
5 oz. animal crackers
3 T. sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
Filling:
1¼ c. sugar
1 T. grated zest
¼ c. freshly squeezed juice from 1-2 lemons
3 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch chunks, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
¼ t. salt
½ c. heavy cream
Lemon Curd:
⅓ c. freshly squeezed juice from about 2 lemons
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
½ c. sugar
2 T. cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 T. heavy cream
¼ t. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Directions
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Place the oven rack in the lower half of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the animal crackers in a food processor; pulse until they're fine crumbs. Add in sugar; pulse. Add butter in a steady stream; continue to pulse until mixture starts to come together, about 10 one second pulses.
Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-inch springform pan; press evenly into the bottom. Bake until it's golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven; cool. When cool, wrap the pan with two 18 inch pieces of foil. Set in a roasting pan; set aside.
Filling:
Place ¼ c. sugar and lemon zest in a food processor; process until the sugar turns yellow and fragrant. Add in the remaining sugar; pulse a few times to combine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for about 5 seconds. With the mixer on low, add in the lemon sugar in a steady stream; switch to medium; beat until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to medium-low; add in eggs, 2 at a time, scraping down the bowl in between additions. Add in the lemon juice, vanilla and salt; mix to combine. Add in the cream; beat to combine, another 5 seconds. Scrape the bowl again to make sure everything has been incorporated; pour into the springform pan.
Place the pan in the oven; carefully add enough water to the roasting pan to make it halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center is slightly giggly, the sides start to puff and the surface is no longer shiny, about 55 - 60 minutes. Turn off the oven; prop the oven door open with a towel or wooden spoon. Allow the cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven; remove from the roasting pan; remove the foil from the pan; transfer to a wire rack.
Run a small paring knife around the edges of the cake; let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
Lemon curd:
While the cheesecake is baking, make the lemon curd. Heat the lemon juice in a small pan over medium heat until hot, but not boiling.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs; gradually whisk in sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot lemon juice into the egg mixture; pour the mixture back into the pan. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 170°F, or until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the pan from the heat; whisk in the butter until melted. Stir in the cream, vanilla and salt. (If you have lumps in the curd, pour through a fine mesh strainer to strain lumps.) Pour the curd into a small non-reactive bowl. Cover the surface of the curd directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until needed.
When the cheesecake is cool, top with the lemon curd while still in the springform pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, but 24 hours is best.
12-16 servings.