The baking time is the secret to this cheesecake. Although time-consuming, this recipe has never let me down.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 9 hrs |
| Total Time: | 11 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch cheesecake |
Ingredients
- 32 graham crackers, crushed
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ pounds cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream, whipped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, 1/4 cup of sugar, and flour together in a bowl; press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Bake the crust until lightly browned, about 8 minutes; allow to cool in the pan. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with 1 3/4 cup of sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until the filling is free of lumps; gently fold in the whipped cream.
- Bake in the 450-degree oven for 12 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Bake until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cheesecake gently and carefully from the oven, and allow to cool to room temperature while still in pan; refrigerate overnight. Release the pan and gently remove to slice and serve the cheesecake.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 510 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 180 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Sodium | 359 mg |
| Sugars | 30 g |
| Fat | 37 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great cheesecake. I have made this 1 several times. Instead of putting my crust in the oven, I put mine in the freezer till it is needed. I also use a waterbath in the oven at 350degrees, to keep it from cracking in the cooling stage. The trick is to let it coast in at the end of the cooking time. Just turn the oven off and let it cool for a couple hours in the oven. Then put it in the fridge. Always a favorite.
Wonderful cheesecake! I would have given this 5 stars, but I don’t think you need to pre-bake the crust – my crust turned out a bit overcooked. Also, when I got to the point of the recipe to add the heavy whipping cream – I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be using whipped cream or heavy whipping cream. I had purchased heavy whipping cream because of the ingredient list so that is what I used. I was a little worried during the cooking process as well, as the cheesecake was browning very early on. I left it in for the entire time as directed and it came out really nice. It did crack around the edge but I didn’t care as it tastes very nice with the hint of lemon. I appreciate it is not a very rich cheesecake – it is on the lighter side by cheesecake standards. Thanks for sharing!