Lemon Cheesecake

Bright, sunny Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Oreo Crust delivers a sweet, creamy lemony flavor perfect for any occasion.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 10

Cooling + Chilling Time 6

Total Time 7 55

Servings slices

Calories 500kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

Crust:

35 Lemon Oreos see substitutions in the Notes below
5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted

Filling:

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest or zest from 2 lemons
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs

Garnish:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by spraying with non-stick spray with flour OR non-stick spray and lightly flour (regular or gluten-free flour).
Add the lemon Oreos (or substitute cookies) and melted butter to a food processor and blend until crumbs are fine. The mixture should look like moist sand.
Pour the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan and press into the bottom. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing the filling.

Prepare the filling:

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and zest until it’s well combined and creamy. Add in the sour cream and mix again. Set aside.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs just until they are broken up. Pour the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and mix just until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour the mixture into the crust. Top with a little lemon zest if you like for decoration.

Prepare the water bath:

Tear two sheets of aluminum foil and wrap them around the bottom of the spring form pan, bring them up the sides and make sure the bottom is completely covered. This is to prevent moisture from getting into the cheesecake.
Set the foil wrapped pan onto a cookie sheet and place it onto a shelf in the oven. Pour about 2 cups of water into the cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes, just until the sides start to pull away and they are lightly golden. There will be a little jiggle in the cheesecake, do not over bake.
When done baking, leave the cheesecake in the oven, turn off the oven and just slightly crack the door. Let the cheesecake cool in the turned off oven for about an hour. By allowing the cheesecake to cool slowly it will help prevent cracking and sinking.
Refrigerate covered for 5 or more hours before serving.

Prepare the whipped cream:

Place the mixing bowl and mixing attachments into the freezer while you are grabbing the ingredients, about 10 minutes.
Pour the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the frosted bowl and mix on high for a few minutes. The cream is done once soft peaks are formed. Do not over mix. Scoop the whipped cream into a piping bag and decorate the top of the cheesecake as you wish.

Notes

Ingredients Notes

Cream Cheese: must be at room temperature before beginning or lumps will develop in the cheesecake.

Lemon Oreos: if they are not available OR to make the cheesecake gluten-free, substitute Golden Oreos or gluten-free vanilla sandwich cookies.

Gluten-Free Note

The absorbency of gluten-free cookies is different than gluten cookies so the crust may need less butter. When grinding the cookies and melted butter together start with 4 tablespoons of melted butter. The crumbs should be fine (small) and look like moistened sand. If they do not add the remaining tablespoon of butter. The mixture should not be soggy.

Pro Tips for a Perfect Cheesecake

Do Not Overbake. Cheesecake will come out of the oven with a little jiggle in the middle. This is normal! The cheesecake will firm up while it cools and chills.

Cool in Oven with Door Cracked for 1 hour. After baking be sure to turn off the heat, crack the oven door to allow cooling. This will make sure there is no cracking or sinking of the cheesecake.

Chill at least 5 hours before Serving. This is key to develop the creamy cheesecake consistency and firmness.

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