This cheesecake replicates all the iconic slices we have enjoyed in the Big Apple, with a dense, creamy texture and that familiar lemony tang paired with plenty of graham cracker crust. But this version takes it up a notch with a homemade Meyer lemon and ginger curd that’s bursting with bright lemon flavor and a kick of gingery spice. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries for an irresistible slice of cheesecake.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 6 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
- 1 1/2 cups lightly crushed butter cookies
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 4-inch piece ginger, peeled
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Sliced strawberries, for serving
Instructions
- Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pulse the graham crackers and butter cookies in a food processor until finely ground; drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
- Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar, 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Transfer to a rack; let cool completely, then refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Make the lemon curd: Finely grate the ginger; put in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and press with a rubber spatula to extract the juice.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar and cream in a small nonreactive saucepan until combined. Add the lemon juice and ginger juice and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbly, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing it through with a rubber spatula; let cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Spread the curd over the cheesecake and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Remove the springform ring and slice. Serve with strawberries.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 675 |
| Total Fat | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 46 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 255 mg |
| Sodium | 400 mg |
Reviews
This cheesecake was absolutely delicious! I made it yesterday and let it chill overnight. I also made the Meyer lemon-ginger curd yesterday so it would mellow, based on a review I read. It was so good! The only thing I did different was to use ginger snap cookies in place of the butter cookies as others have suggested. It was a logical replacement to compliment the ginger in the curd and it did not disappoint. Everyone at the table, 4 adults and 6 children, finished their whole piece which I didn’t expect out of the younger kids. Even got a comment on how light and fluffy the cheesecake was. I highly recommend this cheesecake and will definitely keep this in my cheesecake rotation. Loved the Meyer lemons!!!
I share with my daughter-in-law a love of cheesecake. Family holidays I make a cheesecake for dessert. I made this for Easter Dinner and it was superb. We love anything lemon. The meyer lemon curd was taste perfection. I wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe, however I like the idea of one reviewer and maybe add some ginger snaps to the crust mixture. Although the subsitution for meyer lemons works, do try and find meyer lemons for this recipe
I do not see the number of eggs in the curd. How Manaus are people using?
This cheesecake rocks. My tweak: use gingerbread cookies instead of butter for a more ginger-y experience.
Just made this for a dinner party and it won rave reviews from everyone including my husband who loves New York cheesecake! Perfect texture and the curd is exquisite. Will definitely make this one again.
Hands down the best lemon cheesecake! Will definitely make this again!
This is one of the nicest cheesecakes I have ever eaten. It has gotten rave reviews each time I have prepared it. I did use a 10 inch springform, instead of a 9 inch pan. I did not have Meyer lemons, so followed the suggestion and used half orange juice and half lemon. The texture is beautiful, and the lemon ginger curd was to die for. It made more than I needed for the cake, so I stirred it into plain Greek yogurt for breakfast. Yum!!
This is an absolutely perfect recipe. The basic cheesecake (pre-topping is the best cheesecake I’ve ever made. Simple ingredients and beautiful texture throughout. The Meyer-lemon ginger curd was so good, I just wanted to pour it on my head, but I demonstrated a great amount of restraint and poured it on top of the cheesecake, instead. I thought the curd would be a little bit fussy to make, but it was no trouble at all. It was even so smooth and creamy in the sauce pan that I skipped straining it through a mesh colander. Everyone loved this dessert. I will make it again, AND I will use the basic cheesecake recipe when I want to use other fruit toppings, as well. I followed the directions as written except 1 used a 10-inch pan, and 2 used all graham crackers in the crust (didn’t have butter cookies in the house. So good, Food Network! And just as beautiful as the picture in the magazine.
This cheesecake is delicate and delicious! The pale yellow of the curd and the light color of the butter cookies in the crust make the cake itself feminine and pretty–perfect to serve at a bridal or baby shower or for dessert after a spring luncheon. The flavor of the crust and cheesecake itself is subtle, and the texture is lighter than the typical cheesecake. The lemon-ginger curd adds a nice zing. At first, the ginger was too overpowering, and my initial reaction was to scrape some of the curd off, and I made a note to myself to cut the ginger in half in the future. However, once the shock of the first bite wore off, the ginger seemed more subdued, and the wonderful meyer lemon flavor really emerged. The following night, we were meeting my sister and some friends for dinner, so I brought the remains of the cake for dessert. Everyone there raved about it! The ginger had really mellowed by the second night, and the texture of the cheesecake remained light and fluffy.
Great taste. Would prefer a little more ginger taste next time. Can easily add more. So glad to see this magazine recipe just in time for Meyer Lemon season. Thanks FN!