8 to 10 servings
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom.
What you’ll need
2 pounds cream cheese (Room temp)
Sour cream (Room temp)
Sweetened condensed milk (Room temp)
Whole milk (Room temp)
Heavy whipping cream (Cold)
Large eggs (Room temp)
2 medium-sized lemons
Unsalted butter
All-purpose flour
Sugar
Salt
Graham crackers
Vanilla extract
Lemon extract
Confectioners’ sugar
Yellow gel paste or liquid food coloring
Tools you’ll need
Baker’s joy non-stick baking spray
9-inch round springform pan
Food processor
Citrus zester
Citrus juicer
Mesh strainer
Whisk
Large sturdy spoon
Disposable piping bag
Coupler and Wilton #2D tip
Cake serving pad
Preparation of ingredients
Graham cracker crust
Step 1- Add 13 whole graham crackers broken into medium-sized pieces into a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step 2- Add 1/4 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pulse for 40 seconds to 1 minute or until the mixture is moist crumbs.
Baking the graham cracker crust.
Spray the bottom and side of springform pan with the Baker’s joy non-stick baking spray.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 3- Add prepared graham cracker crumbs into a 9-inch round springform pan. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and bring and press the graham cracker crumbs up the sides of the baking pan, using your hands.
Step 4- Place into a preheated 350-degree oven for 8 minutes. Once the baking time ends, remove from the oven. Let the graham cracker crust cool completely.
Lemons
Step 5- Rinse lemons off with cold water. Zest both lemons using the citrus zester. Once done you should have 1/4 or 1/3 cup lemon zest.
Step 6- Cut each lemon in half. Juice the lemon halves using the citrus juicer. Pour the leftover lemon juice into a mesh strainer with a measuring cup underneath it. Once done you should have 1/3 or 1/2 cup lemon juice.
Cheesecake batter
Note- Overmixing the batter or introducing air bubbles in the batter can cause the cheesecake to crack after the baking process is complete.
Bowl 1 Creamcheese mixture
Step 7- Add 2 pounds cream cheese (Room temp), 1/3 cup sour cream (Room temp), and 4 large eggs (Beaten and at room temp) into a large bowl. Stir with a study spoon until combined. Mixture will first appear not to come together but as you stir it, it will start to come together. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Bowl 2 Condensed milk mixture
Step 8- Add 1 and 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk (The entire can and at room temp),1/3 cup whole milk (Room temp), 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (Room temp), 1/3 or 1/2 cup lemon juice (Room temp), 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 or 1/3 cup lemon zest, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon yellow gel paste or liquid food coloring into a separate medium-sized bowl. Stir all ingredients together with a large sturdy spoon or whisk until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Step 9- Add all the contents from bowl 2 Condensed milk mixture into bowl 1 cream cheese mixture. Stir all ingredients together with a large sturdy spoon or whisk until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Baking your cheesecake
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Step 10- Place your springform pan into an 11 by 17-inch baking pan. Add prepared cheesecake batter into the springform pan. Shake the springform pan to make batter more even.
Step 11- Place into a preheated 300-degree oven, on the middle rack. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once the baking time has ended remove the cheesecake from the oven.
Step 12- To tell if the cheesecake it done tap the side of the springform pan. If the cheesecake doesn’t jiggle toward the edge and it slightly jiggles in the center or it doesn’t jiggle at all, the cheesecake is done. Let the cheesecake cool completely. This can take 4 to 5 hours. Cooling times vary so it can take more or less time.
Step 13- To remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, there’s latch of the side of the springform pan. Release that and remove the side portion of the springform pan off of the cheesecake. Place the cheesecake in the fridge for 4 hours so the cheesecake can set.
Step 14- To remove the bottom portion of the springform pan off, place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the cheesecake. Add a flat surface on top and flip the cheesecake upside down. Remove the bottom of the springform pan off of the bottom portion of the cheesecake.
Step 15- Place a cake serving pad onto the bottom of the cheesecake. Flip the cheesecake back over onto the opposite side. Peel off the parchment paper. Place the cheesecake into the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
Whipped cream
Note- Make sure to place your mixing bowl with attachments in the fridge to get it cold.
Step 16- Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream (Cold), 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract and a light sprinkle of salt into stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Start mixer on a low speed for 10 seconds to get ingredients incorporated. Turn mixer up to the highest setting and mix for 3 or 4 minutes or until the whipped cream thickens. Place into fridge for 1 hour so the whipped cream can set.
Piping bag
Step 17- Add coupler into a disposable piping bag with the tip cut off. Add the Wilton #2D tip on top and screw it in place with the coupler nut. Place the piping bag into a large cup. Add prepared whipped cream into the piping bag.
Decorating your cheesecake
Step 18- Pipe the whipped cream 2 to 3 inches from the outer edge of the cheesecake going all around.
Lemon slices
Step 19- Cut a medium-sized lemon into thin slices. Take each slice and cut it into quarter pieces.
Step 20- Add lemon slices onto the whipped cream and from there the cheesecake is ready to be served.
Quick tips-Do not attempt to bake and decorate the cheesecake all in one day. Bake the cheesecake one day and decorate it the next day. Keep the cheesecake in the fridge at all times. You can also freeze the cheesecake as well.
YouTube instructional video
