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Lemon Cheesecake


    Crust:
    2/3 cup all-purpose flour
    2 tablespoons sugar
    2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
    1 tablespoon ice water
    Cooking spray
    Filling:
    3 (8-ounces) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
    2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
    1 3/4 cups sugar
    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    5 large eggs
    1 cup Lemon Curd (see below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the curst, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place 2/3 cup flour and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add chilled butter; pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly pour ice water through food chute, processing just until blended (do not allow dough to form a ball). Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-minutes, cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees

To prepare the filling, beat cheeses at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar and the next 4 ingredients (1 3/4 cups sugar through salt); beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour the cheese mixture into prepared pan. Spoon mounds of Lemon Curd over filling, and swirl together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325 degrees for1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake is almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven,and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. Yield: 16 servings.


Lemon Curd:
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
    2 large eggs
    2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
    2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixure is light in color (about 3 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and butter, cook, for 5 minutes or until mixuter thinly coast the back of a spoon, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool. Cover and chill (the mixture will thicken as it cools). Yeidl: 1/13 cups.

Note: Lemon Curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can easily double the recipe and freeze half of it in a heavy duty zip-top plastic bag. Thaw in the refrigerator, and use within 1 week of thawing.


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