Baked lemon cheesecake! And I promise, you won’t want another after you’ve tried this one! It’s rich and creamy, tangy and sweet and simply sublime. It’s so easy to make too and is a wonderful dessert to make ahead for a special occasion.
It’s all made up of just two simple components – a gorgeous buttery cookie crust which is filled with a simple creamy lemon cheesecake filling. This cheesecake is then baked to perfection for a dreamy texture that just melts on your tongue.
You could go the extra mile and add a layer of this homemade lemon curd. It’s divine but not necessarily required since this cheesecake has a phenomenal lemon flavour all on its own.
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Ingredients & substitutions
Your search for the perfect recipe for a lemon cheesecake stops right here. You only need basic cheesecake ingredients plus some fresh lemons. Adapted from my original baked cheesecake recipe, it bakes quickly and has a huge hit of lemon.
Aside from sugar, butter, eggs and a little vanilla, there are only 5 other ingredients.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Cookies: I use digestive biscuits in this lemon cheesecake recipe (specifically Arnotts Granita) but you can use Graham Crackers or another sweet, unfilled cookie.
- Ground ginger: While technically optional, I love to add just a little ground ginger to the cookie base. It doesn’t add a strong noticeable flavour but it adds a special something.
- Cream cheese: You must use full fat cream cheese in this recipe for flavour and setting purposes.
- Fresh lemons: You want both the lemon juice and lemon zest (lots) from fresh lemons. It gives this cheesecake the most amazing flavour. Don’t use bottled lemon juice and don’t skip the zest.
- Sour cream adds both tang and extra creaminess here. You can use either light or full fat sour cream.
How to make baked lemon cheesecake
Plan ahead to make this creamy lemon cheesecake as it needs plenty of time to chill after baking – overnight gives it plenty of time but also means you can make it ahead of a celebration and not leave you doing everything at the last minute.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. The cookie crumb crust
The cookie crust is buttery, just the right amount of crumbly and so delicious. I don’t add sugar to my cookie crusts for cheesecake as I just don’t think they need it. The filling is already sweet enough so the cookie crust is a great way to add balance and it’s a wonderful texture alongside the creamy lemon cheesecake filling. I use digestive biscuits but you can make a Graham Cracker crust too.
Use a food processor or regular blender to blend your cookies to fine crumbs. Add ground ginger and melted butter and give it a good mix making sure all the crumbs are well coated.
2. Shape the cookie crust
Tip the cookie mixture into a lined 8 inch springform tin, then level them out. Now, starting from the inside use the base of a glass to press down the centre moving around and around and gradually out to the edges. Once you get about 1.25cm (½ inch) from the sides of the pan, start to press the glass out towards the edge (rather than pressing down), then keep going around and around until you have a nice even edge about 5mm (⅕ inch) thick.
The best glass for making the cookie crust is a round glass with straight edges and a sharp corner at the bottom (imagine a straight-sided whiskey glass / tumbler). Place the cookie crust in the fridge while you get on with the filling.
3. Make the filling
Denser than a no-bake cheesecake yet lighter than a New York style cheesecake, the lemon cheesecake filling is creamy and has a wonderful melt-in-the-mouth texture.
The first step is to enhance the lemon flavor as much as possible by using your fingertips to blend the lemon zest into the sugar until it resembles wet sand. This draws the natural oil out of the lemon zest and intensifies the flavour.
Add the cream cheese to the sugar and beat it just until smooth and combined.
Next, add the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and beat in. Finally, add the eggs, one at a time, until just beaten through. It’s really important not to overbeat the cheesecake mixture as adding too much air to the batter can cause cracking.
4. Bake
Pour the lemon cheesecake batter into the cookie crust then bake for 40-45 minutes or until the outside looks set while the middle still has a little wobble when you give the pan a nudge.
5. Cooling the cheesecake
Cooling the cheesecake slowly is crucial as sudden temperature changes can cause cracking.
Do I need a water bath for my cheesecake?
No, is the short answer. I don’t like using water baths with my cheesecakes though you certainly can if you like that method. I find them a bit annoying; water might get into the crust if you don’t seal up foil around it properly; the water can be hot when you’re trying to take the cheesecake out of it etc. While a water bath (or bain marie) is thought to help reduce the risk of cracks in cheesecakes, just making sure you don’t overbake the cheesecake can do that too.
For mine, I just place an oven-safe dish of water into the oven with the cheesecake as opposed to sitting the cheesecake in water. The dish of water will create steam and a humid environment that will help the cheesecake to cook gently and there’s no messing around trying not to get water in the cheesecake.
Tips & tricks (and what causes cracks in cheesecakes)
Most of the tips and tricks I have for making a cheesecake like this baked lemon cheesecake centre around tips to prevent cracking.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Incorporating too much air into a baked cheesecake can cause cracking so be gentle when mixing it together. Use the low setting and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl often rather than just waiting for it all to mix together.
- Don’t overbake: Overbaking can cause the cheesecake, like any cake, to dry out and that can lead to cracking.
- Cool it gradually: Baked cheesecakes can be sensitive to sudden temperature changes so once it’s baked, turn off the oven and just leave it in there with the door closed for another 30 minutes. This time will gently cook it the rest of the way whilst the oven gradually cools. Next, open the door and leave it ajar for 30 minutes allowing the hotter air to escape from the oven whilst still allowing the cake to cool slowly. Now, you can remove it from the oven. You can place it onto a plate straight into the fridge by this point but I often leave it out for another 30 minutes before doing that, just to be extra sure.
What to top lemon cheesecake with
You can keep things simple and add some garnishes of lemon slices like I have here. Or, why not try a layer of lemon curd and some whipped cream or one or other.
If you do get any cracks in your cheesecake, it isn’t the end of the world. It will still taste lovely and a layer of lemon curd or whipped cream can easily hide it.
Storage
This baked lemon cheesecake will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
You can freeze it too. It’s best done in slices so you can thaw just as much as you need. Sit them on a baking sheet in the freezer until solid, then wrap well in plastic wrap and into an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and discard the plastic wrap, then thaw at room temperature for an hour or two or in the fridge overnight.
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Ingredients
- 250 g digestive biscuits (or other sweet cookie) , like granita or graham crackers (~9oz)
- 100 g unsalted butter , melted (3 ½oz)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger , optional
FILLING
- 200 g caster sugar (or white granulated sugar) (1 cup / 7oz)
- 1 tablespoon packed lemon zest , 3-4 medium lemons (notes 1)
- 625 g cream cheese , softened (22oz)
- ¾ cup sour cream (180ml / 170g / 6oz)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (60ml)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- OR electric mixer and large bowl
- 8 inch springform pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan forced)/ 320F /. Grease and line an 8 inch round spring form pan with baking paper.
- Blend the cookies to crumbs (if you don’t have a blender or food processor, put the cookies in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin)
- Add the melted butter & ground ginger and mix well.
- Tip into the prepared pan and use a straight sided glass to gently press the crumbs out over the centre then up against the sides.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and use your fingertips to blend the zest into the sugar until it looks like wet sand.
- Using the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese into the sugar on low-med speed for about a minute until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required.
- Add the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and beat on low scraping down the sides as necessary until just combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time beating on low until each is just incorporated. Don’t over mix.
- Pour the filling into the cookie base and smooth the top if needed.
- Place an oven safe dish or cake pan filled with water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Place the cheesecake onto a separate baking sheet (to catch any butter that might leak out in cooking) and place in the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges look set and the middle still has a wobble when you gently nudge the pan,
- Cooling: Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool in the oven, door closed, for 30 minutes. Open the door and let it cool for a further 30 minutes before removing it. Let it cool another 30 minutes then transfer to the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight is best.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Cracking in cheesecakes: If you follow the instructions to a tee, you shouldn’t get any cracks but all ovens are different so if yours runs a little hotter than mine, your cheesecake may bake quicker. If you do get cracks, don’t worry. It will still taste amazing and if you want to hide them, just add a layer of lemon curd or some whipped cream.
- All ovens vary so check your cheesecake around the 40 minute mark being very gently when you move the oven shelf or cake pan and nudge it gently. The outside couple of inches should look set while the middle still has a wobble.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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2 Comments on “Baked Lemon Cheesecake Recipe”
Thankyou, the most delicious cheesecake, tangy & moist even for non baked cheesecake lovers!
I’m so happy you love it, Meg. Truly appreciate you dropping back to leave a review.