Easy Lemon Cheesecake

I've been making a lot of cheesecakes lately, but lemon is definitely one of my personal favorites. The light and lemony flavor is perfect for summer, while not being cloyingly sweet. 

This recipe comes together in a snap. For a while, I was a little afraid of making cheesecake, because it seemed a bit complicated - I worried that the center wouldn't set, or that the filling would be too dense. 

But I've run into no problems with this cheesecake - I love it!

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Tips: 

- Take out the egg, cream, and cream cheese for the filling early, allowing them to come to room temperature as you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

- Feel free to use a different crust recipe, or use a store-bought pie crust - they work perfectly!

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Easy Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients: 

Crust: 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup almond flour

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling: 

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup (2 tbsp) lemon juice

3 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions: 

1. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by greasing the inside and wrapping a large piece of foil around the outside. Boil a kettle of water for the water bath. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350F.

3. Next, make the pie crust. In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, almond flour, and sugar and whisk thoroughly. Add in the melted butter and stir until even. 

4. Pour the crumbs into the prepared pan and use your finger or a measuring cup to press the crumbs across the bottom and sides to form a crust. 

5. Prebake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes. 

6. In a food processor, pulse the sugar and lemon zest together for a few seconds. 

7. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and lemon-zest sugar for 2 minutes, or until combined and fluffy. One at a time, add in the eggs, before mixing for another few minutes. After everything is incorporated, add in the vanilla, lemon juice, and heavy cream and mix for another minute. 

8. Once the crust is finished baking, place the foil-wrapped springform pan into a larger pan. Carefully pour the cheesecake filling over the crust, then fill the outer pan halfway with boiling water. 

9. Lay a piece of foil over the pan - do not cut off the air circulation of the cheesecake! Place in the oven to bake for 1 hour. 

10. After 1 hour, allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 30 minutes (with the oven turned off and the oven door open). 

11. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool in the fridge for at least a few hours, or overnight.