Lemon Cheesecake
A baked cheesecake with a digestive biscuit base and a smooth lemon cream cheese filling.
How to Cook Lemon Cheesecake
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Heat the oven to 160°C / 320°F. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and press into the base of a 23 cm springform tin.
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Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time on low speed.
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Stir in the sour cream, lemon zest, juice and flour. Pour over the base.
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Bake for 50 minutes until the edge is set and the middle still wobbles. Cool in the tin for 1 hour.
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Chill for 5 hours before releasing the tin and slicing.
Keep an Eye on These
- Use cream cheese at room temperature.
- Mix on low speed.
- If your oven runs hot, check at 40 minutes.
- Slice with a hot knife.
A Little Background
It looks like a plain cheesecake and eats like a lemon tart, which is why the zest matters more than the juice. Juice adds sourness, while zest carries the actual lemon flavour.
Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth, using room-temperature cheese so no lumps remain. Add the eggs one at a time and mix on low speed. Overmixing puts air in, and air makes the top crack. Stir in the sour cream, zest, juice and flour gently.
Press the biscuit crumbs and butter into a 23 cm springform tin, pour in the filling and bake at 160°C for 50 minutes. The edge should be set and the middle should still wobble. If your oven runs hot, check at 40 minutes.
Cool in the tin for 1 hour, then chill for 5 hours before slicing. A thin spoonful of lemon curd on top before serving adds shine and an extra sharpness.
What to Serve It With
Fresh berries · Whipped cream · Lemon curd · Hot tea
Keeping Lemon Cheesecake
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days.
Quick Answers
How long does Lemon Cheesecake take to make?
About 1 hour 15 minutes of hands-on work — 25 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking — plus 6 hours of Cooling and chilling, so allow 7 hours 15 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 10.
What are the key tips for making Lemon Cheesecake?
Use cream cheese at room temperature. Mix on low speed. If your oven runs hot, check at 40 minutes. Slice with a hot knife.
What should I serve with Lemon Cheesecake?
Fresh berries; Whipped cream; Lemon curd; Hot tea.
How should Lemon Cheesecake be stored?
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days.
Is Lemon Cheesecake suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Lemon Cheesecake?
About 492 kcal per serving, with 8 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate and 36 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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