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Tart Lemon Cheesecake sits atop an almond-graham cracker crust to add a delightful nuttiness to the traditional graham cracker crust. Finish the cheesecake with lemon curd for double the tart pucker!
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make My Baking Addiction possible.
Every single time we go to Boca Grande, Florida on vacation I end up developing an obsession for a specific food from the island.
Sometimes it’s coconut shrimp, other times it’s toasted coconut ice cream, or a delicious ranch dressing from one of the local marinas. This past time? Cheesecake.
You guys know that my obsession with cheesecake is real, and not limited to the location of Florida. Just take a look back into the cheesecake recipe archives here on My Baking Addiction if you don’t believe me.
During our 2-week stay on the island, I ordered a lime cheesecake with raspberry puree more times than I care to admit.
The lime cheesecake was delicious. Smooth, tart, and super creamy, but the crust was absolutely incredible.
The second time I ordered the house-made cheesecake, I inquired about the crust and server informed me it was the butter and ground almonds that make it so darn good.
So here we are a month or so later and I’m taking that butter and almond tip and delivering you guys an amazing lemon cheesecake recipe with an incredible crust.
LEMON AND ALMONDS: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
You know what flavor pairing doesn’t get nearly enough love? Lemon and almonds.
Not buying it? Hear me out.
I know that we combine lemon with coconut and berries all the time. And I am all for that! My recipes for Strawberry Lemonade, Coconut Lemon Squares and Lemon Berry Mascarpone Tart should be proof of that.
But lemon also pairs surprisingly well with almonds. There’s a reason Italians put them together in lemon almond cake – there’s just something about the tartness of the lemons that matches perfectly with the nutty, almost buttery flavor of almonds.
So when I decided to revisit Lemon Cheesecake this summer and considered how to make it even better, my mind turned to adding almonds to the graham cracker crust.
Because you know I had no desire to grind my own almonds for this situation, I grabbed a bag of my very favorite almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill.
Bob’s Red Mill always makes top-notch products and I really like using their Super-Fine Natural Almond Flour in my baked goods. The texture is fine enough that it can be added to my regular graham cracker crust super easily.
It’s also certified gluten-free, so I know I can safely use it in recipes like Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones for my gluten-free loved ones.
Whether I’m baking for friends with special diets or my sweet Elle, I always appreciate the peace of mind that comes from using the best ingredients. They always make my desserts that much better!
You could use this almond-graham cracker crust recipe with just about any cheesecake recipe you like – it would be really amazing with a cherry cheesecake – but I thought using it as a base for a tart Lemon Cheesecake is perfect for summer.
HOMEMADE LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH TWICE THE TARTNESS
How much lemon can I fit into my homemade Lemon Cheesecake recipe? Let me count the ways.
There’s a full 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest from two lemons in this Lemon Cheesecake batter. I wanted to get pucker from the lemon juice and the sweet, citrusy aroma from the zest.
And because I just can’t get enough lemon tartness in my life, I topped the finished cheesecake with lemon curd. You could definitely use store-bought curd, but it only takes a few minutes to make homemade microwave lemon curd.
A dollop of whipped cream and some fresh lemon zest are all you need to finish dressing up your Lemon Cheesecake.
This cheesecake is lemony and bright, nutty and oh so sweet. It’s the perfect dessert for any summer gathering!
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Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
For the Cheesecake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 32 ounces cream cheese room temperature (4 [8-ounce] packages)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
For the Topping
- 1 cup lemon curd
- whipped cream optional
- lemon slices optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Separate a 9-inch springform pan into two pieces. Line the bottom of the pan with foil, fasten on the side piece, and spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Tightly wrap the outside bottom and sides of the springform pan with two layers of heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath. I also take the extra step of placing the foil wrapped spring form pan inside an oven bag while baking, but this is optional.
- Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Spoon the crumbs into the prepared pan and press into the bottom of the pan and up the sides to form a crust layer. Bake crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack.
- Bring a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.
- In a medium bowl, use your fingertips to combine the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is fragrant.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and lemon-sugar for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Add in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after adding the second and fourth egg. After adding the final egg and scraping the sides of the bowl, mix again for 30 seconds. The mixture should be smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla, lemon juice, and heavy cream and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust.
- Place pan into a larger pan (I use a roasting pan) and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Gently lay a piece of foil over the pan – do not tighten the foil as we’ll want to allow the air to still circulate.
- Bake 55-65 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, turn off the oven, and leave the oven door cracked. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the cooling oven for one hour.
- After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Just before serving, top the cheesecake with lemon curd, whipped cream and lemon slices.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is the best cheesecake I’ve made yet, and I’ve made some great cheesecakes. I did use a normal all purpose flour crust using the recipe from this website. I also baked the cake for maybe 5-10 minutes more than the recipe called for. I also followed the advice of a commenter that left the door closed after they turned off the oven, for maybe 40 minutes. Then i left it just slightly ajar until it was room temperature and I put it in the fridge. In the morning, it was perfect. Creamy, soft, delicious. Gorgeous.
Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed, Carla! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
Made this cheesecake last week. Some parts of it were a hassle, like the water bath (I don’t have a roasting pan and it was hard finding a pan big enough to accommodate a foil wrapped springform). It also took a REALLY long time to bake, nearly two hours until the edges were set. At first I thought the water leaked into the cake and ruined it, it was taking that long.
Once it was done baking, I forgot to leave it in an off oven, just pulled straight out. I didn’t have any cracking or issues with the top. I’d also removed the top piece of foil after about an hour and fifteen minutes and didn’t have any problems with browning.
The flavor is bright and springy, the crust is flavorful and buttery, but the texture of this cake stole the show. This is the best texture I’ve ever had in a cheesecake. Thick, luscious, and incredible with lemon curd or by itself. It was a smash hit. So while it took it’s sweet time to bake, it was absolutely worth it.
I’m so glad to hear that it was worth it! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing. Happy baking!
Jamie
I tried it and it came out perfect. I like more lemon so I did increase the the lemon zest. I also left my oven closed for an hour cause of the extra lemon juice. My cake was tall, firm and smooth. I love this recipe and the crust combination is devine. I am so sorry for the lady with the bad experience. This is one of the best lemon cheese cake recipes I’ve tried. Try again
I’m glad to hear it, Leanora! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
Wow, mine was horrible. It was so wet and soggy, it made the crust complete mush. The only change I made was decrease the amount of sugar in the crust by 1/2 because the graham crackers I had were quite sweet. Total failure and quite gross. 0/10 do not recommend.
Hi Eugenia – Sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I have tested this recipe extensively and typically don’t recommend making changes to cheesecake recipes since it can throw off the ratios that make the recipes work.
-Jamie
I made your wonderful cheesecake recipe this past weekend for my grandson’s 21 birthday dinner! I had never made one with four bricks of cream cheese and wondered how different this would be from recipes with less. (I need to add our family is a big fan of ‘new york style’ cheesecake) The recipe went together with ease, most difficult part dealing with the lemon rind and juicing. It did take the full amount of time to bake. The next day (of the dinner) I cut the cake and was amazed that it came out fairly ‘clean’…I was able to get 14 one and a half inch slices! Everyone had one for dessert and took one home! I will definitely make it again….and soon!
So glad you and your family enjoyed, Karin! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
I love this recipe and I will certainly be making it again. I am allergic to tree nuts so I substituted finely ground oat flour and added an extra two tablespoons of butter for the crust. It worked out beautifully.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback, Michelle! So glad you enjoyed. Happy baking!
Jamie
I save old tinfoil pie plates. I take a roasting pan, put a rack on the bottom, and put the tin pie plate on top of that. Then I put the springform pan on top of the pie plate. The water only comes part way up the pie plate, and never comes near the bottom of the cheesecake pan.
I’ve never had a problem with the cheesecake not being done, or with the bottom of it not cooked properly, so I don’t see why it’s necessary to put the water up so high on the sides.
I take care to crack the oven and let the cake cool down with the oven off after the initial bake, and I leave it for a couple of hours on the counter before refrigerating. Haven’t had any problems at all with tops cracking.
Only change I made was to add a tiny bit of lemon juice to the cream cheese mix. Everybody loved it, and my GF said “Never make it again, because I’ll eat it all myself.”
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback, Frank! Happy baking!
Jamie
This looks delish! However, I have someone severely allergic to nuts. What is a good substitute for the almond flour?
@Jane, I recently made this cheesecake for birthday dinner and I used a half cup of finely ground oat flour instead of the almond flour. I’m allergic to nuts as well. Worked like a charm!
At what point do you remove the cheesecake from the springform pan?
Hi John – I usually wait until after the cheesecake has chilled, just before serving. Hope this helps! Happy baking –
Jamie
This is so good that your guests will ask you for the recipe! BUT…..three tips that you must do:
1. Cover with foil while baking – stops the browning
2. Ensure the foil comes up the sides of your dish on all sides – I used normal size al foil & water got into mine
3. Don’t skimp on the lemon curd. It is what elevates this cheesecake. I use the Rachel Kook’s recipe. 4 ingredients. Mega easy & very lemony.
Otherwise it’s an awesome cake!
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your feedback, Lisa! Happy baking!
Jamie