Lemon Curd Cheesecake - The Ultimate Lemon Cheesecake

This baked lemon curd cheesecake with lemon curd is the 3rd cheesecake recipe I am sharing on my blog, the other 2 being my easy cheesecake and New York cheesecake.

Both are baked cheesecakes and so is this lemon curd cheesecake. This recipe is adapted from my easy cheesecake recipe. I have not only added lemon juice and zest into the filling, I even topped the cheesecake with a layer of my favorite lemon curd. Plus, I have made a taller crust for this cake as you can see in the image below. The crust extends all the way up the sides of the cake.

This is a small 7 inches round lemon curd cheesecake recipe, and if you wish to make a larger lemon cheesecake, double the recipe below, use a 9 inches round tin and increase the baking time by about 10 minutes. 

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How to Make

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients I used in making this lemon curd cheesecake:

Crust

• Digestive cookies (or Graham Crackers)
• Castor sugar
• Butter (melted)

Filling

• Cream cheese (softened)
• Sugar
• Plain flour
• Lemon juice + zest
• Vanilla essence
• Eggs

Topping & Garnish

• Lemon curd
• Meringue cookies

Making the cheesecake crust

1. Line the bottom of a springform tin with parchment paper.
2. For the lemon curd cheesecake crust, crush the cookies into fine crumbs (in a food processor or with a rolling pin).
3. Add in the castor sugar and mix.
4. Add melted butter. Mix until the ingredients are all well combined. 
5. Press the wet crumbs evenly onto the sides and bottom of your tin. You can use the back of your spoon to do this or use the back of a flat glass to flatten.
6. Once the crust is done, set it aside. 

Making the cheesecake filling

1. Beat the cream cheese until soft for about 30 to 60 seconds depending on the temperature of the cheese. The rule of thumb is to not overbeat it. If the cheese looks creamy with tiny specks of cheese in it, that is good enough.
2. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest, and beat for approximately 20 seconds. Scrape the bowl at 10 seconds interval.
3. Next, add both the eggs and vanilla essence at once and beat the batter for 10 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl again and beat for another 10 seconds. 
4. If you see that the cheesecake batter is not so smooth, beat for a few more seconds, keeping in mind to stop before the batter starts incorporating too much air. 
5. Pour the lemon cheesecake batter into the prepared crust and level the top with a spatula. 
6. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Fill a large baking dish with water. Place another cake pan in it and finally put the cheesecake pan in. This way, the water will not seep into the springform pan.

Baking the cheesecake

1. Bake the lemon cheesecake on the lowest rack in your oven until the sides are firm and the middle is still wobbly. Let the cheesecake rest in the oven for about 10 minutes before removing it. Let it rest again at room temperature for another 10 to 15 minutes before loosening and removing the sides of the tin. 
2. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Remove the bottom of the cake pan only after the cheesecake has been thoroughly chilled or else the crust will break. Run a butter knife underneath the parchment paper at the bottom of the tin before sliding the cheesecake onto a serving plate. Spread lemon curd on top of the lemon curd cheesecake.
3. Garnish with meringue cookies right before serving.
4. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

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Notes

Bake the cheesecake at a reduced temperature

• Cheesecakes are best baked in slightly lower temperatures compared to other cakes and a general rule of thumb is to lower the temperature by 10 degrees Celsius than the temperature you use for normal cakes.

Mix ingredients until just combined, avoid overbeating the cheesecake batter

• Unlike normal cakes, there should not be too much air incorporated into the cheesecake batter. This can cause the top of your cake to have unsightly bubble holes.
• To avoid this, at each step of the recipe, mix the ingredients to the extent that they are just combined, and move on to the next step. Having tiny specks of cheese in the final batter as you pour it onto the crust is perfectly fine. 

Place the cheesecake on the lowest rack in the oven

• Place the lemon curd cheesecake in the lowest rack in the oven. That way, the top of the cake does not get too browned and does not crack.

Keep the interior of your oven moist

• One way to keep the air in the oven moist is by baking the lemon curd cheesecake in a water bath. Also known as bain-marie, a water bath literally means baking your cheesecake by placing the tin in a larger dish filled with water in the oven. Steam from the water helps keep the air in the oven moist and prevent your cheesecakes from cracking.
• If you are using a springform pan, simply wrap the bottom of the pan with foil before placing it in the water-filled baking dish. The other option is to place your tin in a slightly larger cake tin and then placing both the tins into the baking dish filled with water. Both ways will ensure water does not seep into the pan. 

Disable the 'fan' function in your oven

• If your oven comes with a fan function, disable it. This helps in avoiding cracks as well.

Avoid overbaking the cheesecake

• To avoid over-baking, check that the cake is done by pressing the top sides lightly. It should be firm to the touch but the center should still be wobbly.
• Switch the oven off and let the cake rest in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The cake will continue to cook as it cools down. Cooking the lemon curd cake too long can turn its texture rubbery.
• Also, letting it cool down slowly in the oven helps avoid sudden temperature change that could also cause your cheesecake to crack. 

Baking a larger cheesecake

• If you wish to make a larger cake, double the lemon cheesecake recipe below and use a 9 inch round tin. Add 10 minutes to the indicated baking time.

Opting for a thinner cheesecake crust

• If you do not wish to have the cheesecake crust all the way up the sides of this lemon curd cheesecake, reduce the crust ingredients by half and press it down firmly onto the bottom of your tin. 

A more intense lemon taste

• If you wish to intensify the lemon taste in this lemon curd cheesecake, you can increase the amount of lemon juice and zest. 

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Like the cheesecake recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• How to Make Lemon Curd
• Easy Cheesecake Recipe
• Mini Christmas Cheesecake - Pretty Festive Treats
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
• Mini Snickers Cheesecake
• Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
• Pineapple Cheesecake with Coconut - Easy Homemade Recipe
• Pandan Cheesecake - Perfectly Baked and the Creamiest Ever!

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my lemon curd cheesecake recipe. And while you are at it, don’t forget to read up my cheesecake recipe notes right above. With the right recipe and techniques, you can make the best lemon curd cheesecake every single time!

And that’s my ultimate lemon curd cheesecake for you.  Try it and let me know how it turns out!

Happy Baking 🙂 🙂