My lemon cheesecake recipe is a creamy New York Style cheesecake with a vivid lemon flavor and a yummy gingersnap crumb crust.
Finally ~ a foolproof New York Style lemon cheesecake!
Like any native New Yorker worth her salt, I know a good cheesecake when I taste it. It’s been too long since I’ve made, or even had a bite of cheesecake and this one brought it all flooding back to me…why I love it, and why a great piece of cheesecake is one of life’s great pleasures. My lemon cheesecake has the PERFECT texture, a zingy lemon flavor, and is all decked out for a party ~ what more could you want from dessert?
Key ingredient notes
- cream cheese
- buy regular full fat brick style cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese will not give the right texture. I suggest going with a quality cream cheese like Philadelphia brand for best results.
- white and brown sugar
- lemon juice and zest
- all purpose flour
- sour cream
- eggs
- gingersnap cookie crumbs
- you can also use graham cracker crumbs, Biscoff crumbs, or Nill Wafer crumbs.
- butter
The secret to vibrant lemon flavor
Most lemon cheesecake recipes are sorely lacking in actual lemon flavor. Sometimes they rely on artificial flavors which make things even worse. But I’ve got a secret weapon ~ lemon sugar. It’s sugar that has been processed with lemon zest so the two fuse into one fragrant citrus flavor bomb. You can read all about why I love it so much in my how to make lemon sugar post. It makes the lemon-i-est of lemony cheesecakes.
The flavorful crust
A gingersnap crumb crust makes this cheesecake extra special.
The bright lemon flavor of this cheesecake begs for something a little more special than an ordinary graham cracker crust….so it’s gingersnaps to the rescue! I’ve used gingersnaps in crumb crusts a lot, most notably in my now famous Cranberry Gingersnap Pie, but also in my No Bake Lemon Crunch Bars. Gingersnaps have such an intense spicy flavor that really perks up an otherwise bland crust. Just look at that zippy color ~ you just know it’s going to taste good.
It’s just as easy to substitute more flavorful cookies when making a crumb crust, so why not? Ginger and lemon is a time honored combination that has so many varied applications, from therapeutic tea to delicious desserts. Use any gingersnap cookie you can find at your store, the thin or thick ones will work.
A rich New York Style Cheesecake
You’re gonna need 2 lbs (that’s 2 POUNDS) of cream cheese. You’ll want regular cream cheese, not whipped, and while you can use light cream cheese, don’t try to use the fat free stuff. And don’t worry, you won’t be eating the whole cake by yourself…theoretically 😉
Sue’s tips for perfect lemon cheesecake
Cheesecake has a reputation for being difficult and time consuming to make, and I’ve fallen for that myth over the years. But every time I actually set out to make one, I’m always surprised by how quick and easy it actually is. And man-oh-man this lemon cheesecake is so worth it.
- Just 3 words…room temperature ingredients!
- That’s right, it’s as simple as that. Get this right and the rest is a breeze. Have your ingredients, aka cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs, at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients blend seamlessly into a smooth, creamy dessert.
- But what if you forgot to leave your butter out and your eggs are stone cold? No worries, I’ve got you covered with my tips for how to quickly bring cold ingredients to room temperature for baking!
- Add flour to the batter!
- The little bit of flour is the key to the perfect New York Style texture in this cheesecake. It results in a slightly cake-ier consistency. It’s still plenty creamy, but with an added fluffiness that takes it from good to awesome. Ask any New Yorker 😉
- How to prevent your cheesecake from cracking
- Don’t over beat your batter, just mix to combine thoroughly.
- Line the sides of your pan with strips of parchment paper ~ this prevents the sides of the cheesecake from sticking to the pan as the cake cools, which can cause cracking.
- Don’t over cook your cheesecake, when it’s done it will still be wobbly in the center.
- Turn off the oven and let your cheesecake cool right there with the door propped open a bit. The slow cooling helps prevent cracking.
- If your cheesecake cracks, no worries!
- Cracks happen. I’ve never understood why people have an issue with their cheesecakes cracking. I don’t find it a problem at all, in fact I think it looks tempting. In any event it’s super easy to cover the crack with any number of topping ideas, see below for a list of serving suggestions.
Gluten free and vegan options
For gf: Use a gluten free baking mix in place of wheat flour. Use your favorite plain gluten free cookie or cracker for the crust.
For vegan: Use a plant based cream cheese and butter from a brand like Miyoko’s Creamery. Use plant based sour cream from a brand like Forager Project. You might try using 1/4 cup of blended silken tofu for each egg in the recipe. Use your favorite vegan cookie or cracker crumbs for the crust.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this lemon cheesecake plain, just slice and serve. No apologies necessary, it’s fabulous, and honestly, it’s my favorite way to serve it. But cheesecake lends itself to all kinds of delicious toppings, and toppings are a bonus if yours happened to come out of the oven with a little crack!
- A SOUR CREAM LAYER: just thin down sour cream with a little milk or cream and spread it out evenly. You can also just add a dollop of whipped cream or whipped yogurt to each slice.
- A LEMON CURD TOPPING: Spread a layer of lemon curd over the top.
- FRESH BERRIES: either one variety or a mixture. Just tumble them on top, or spread a layer of lemon curd, sour cream, or jam down first and arrange the berries.
- BERRY SAUCE: Cook down berries with a little sugar to make a sauce to spoon over each slice as you serve. Frozen berries will work, and wild blueberries are an amazing choice. I love it with my super quick fresh raspberry sauce or my fresh cherry dessert sauce.
What readers are saying
“With this one recipe, I am officially a baking hero with my family and it’s all because of you, my HERO! This is the fifth lemon cheesecake I’ve been requested to make and no one can get enough. Amazing!”
“I’ve always been intimidated by cooking a cheesecake. I’ve read so many horror stories. I decided to take this one on and am so glad I did!! It turned out beautifully and is absolutely delicious!!!
“This cheesecake was amazing! Followed recipe & tips and came out perfect!! Great consistency and lemon flavor was just right. Everyone LOVED it! Thank you!”
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Lemon Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
gingersnap crust
- 1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs, process gingersnaps in a food processor until finely ground
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
cheesecake
- 32 ounces regular (not whipped) cream cheese, at room temperature, that's 4 8-ounce packages)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest peeled from 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
garnish
- fresh berries
- mint leaves
- edible flowers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan and line with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. Line the sides with strips of parchment paper ~ this helps to prevent cracking as the cake cools. Note: if you have any worry about your pan leaking, wrap the outside tightly with foil.
- Mix together the gingersnap crumbs and brown sugar, making sure to get out any lumps from the brown sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix until all the crumbs are evenly saturated. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan, going up the sides about an inch.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Put the sugar in a food processor and process with the lemon zest until the sugar is pale yellow and all the zest is incorporated. This will take under a minute.
- Put your lemon sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk and blend with the cream cheese, and flour until well combined. Note: you can do this with electric beaters if you prefer.
- Beat in the sour cream and lemon juice, and then the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often to get everything well incorporated.
- Turn the batter into the pan and spread out evenly. Set the pan on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or just until the outside is set and the inside still wobbles. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour with the door propped open.
- Cool the pan on a rack until room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
- Carefully remove cheesecake from pan, and decorate with fresh berries, mint, and flowers.
Notes
- Use regular graham cracker crumbs for the crust, or any other cookie crumbs you like. Chocolatey Nabisco Famous Wafers or Nilla Wafers would be nice, too.
- If you only have a 10 inch pan you can use it, just be aware that the cooking time will be shorter.
- You can get the same topping effect using just one of the berry varieties that I used. If using strawberries look for small ones, and slice some of them in half for a nice visual touch.
Nutrition
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