This smooth and creamy cheesecake has triple the lemon – from the crust to the filling to the lemon curd topping!
My husband and I both attended colleges with prominent basketball programs. I would even argue that my alma mater is practically expected to be invited into the NCAA tournament every year. I am a spoiled alumni in that sense, where my team has been pretty consistent over the decades.
Well, that is, until this year.
The media and fans set unreasonable expectations for my team, and we failed them miserably. We had a roller coaster season and fell out of the top 25 very quickly. Towards the end of the regular season, we had a small win streak that super fans contributed to a food item. Believe it or not, but one of our starters ate an entire package of lemon Oreos before a big game. He played amazingly well, and we won that game.
Word got out about the lemon Oreos and grocery stores in the area sold out of them quickly. This player consumed more lemon Oreos before the next games and continued to play well… until he didn’t.
Sadly, we did not make the tournament this year, but I was curious to try these lemon Oreos. I bought a package at my grocery store and brought them home. Because I knew that there was no way that we could eat the entire package, I turned the cookies into a cheesecake crust and made a lemon cheesecake.
My family and I really enjoyed the cheesecake (and the lemon Oreos!) since it was packed with lemon flavor. I even added some lemon extract to the filling to enhance the lemon flavor even more.
While I am sad about our lackluster season, I am happy to have found lemon Oreos.
Husband’s rating: 5 out of 5 😄
Addie’s rating: 4 of out 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Lemon cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 35 lemon Oreos crushed (I used a food processor)
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- Pinch salt
Cheesecake filling
- 1 and ¼ cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
Lemon curd
- 2 lemons zested and juiced (keep the zest separate from the juice)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs whisked
- ¾ stick (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter diced
Instructions
Make the crust
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the melted butter, cookie crumbs and salt. Press it on the bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch round spring form pan. Set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 325℉.
Make the filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add ¼ cup of the granulated sugar and the lemon zest. Mix on medium speed until the sugar turns yellow. Add in the remaining sugar and mix well. Remove the sugar and transfer to a separate bowl.
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl and beat on medium speed for about 10 seconds. Add the lemon sugar and mix until just incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs, 2 at a time and mix until smooth.
- Add in the lemon extract, lemon juice, and salt and mix until combined.
- Add in the cream and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in your preheated oven for 1 hour. The top will appear slightly jiggly and underdone but that is OK.
- Turn the oven off and crack the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for another hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to come to room temperature before covering and transferring to the refrigerator to fully chill overnight.
Make the lemon curd
- While the cheesecake is cooling, make the curd.
- In a small saucepan, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to gently squeeze them between your fingers until fragrant.
- Add the lemon juice and eggs and stir vigorously. Turn the heat on medium low and keep stirring.
- Add the butter and continue to stir until the curd thickens. It should be able to coat the back of a spoon or spatula.
- Pour the curd through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of the cooked egg bits. Place in a medium sized bowl and cover. Refrigerate overnight.
- Once the cheesecake has fully chilled overnight, spread the curd on top. If desired, you can add dollops of whipped cream to serve.
- Slice and enjoy!
I ate two pieces and still couldn’t swish one from half-court 🙁 But the cheesecake was awesome!!
Author
Glad you enjoyed the cheesecake! 🙂
I could Eat the whole cheesecake LOVE IT….THANKS
Author
I almost did eat the whole cheesecake by myself 🤣
Do you scrape off the Oreo filling?
Author
No. Keep the filling and crush the cookies by hand or in a food processor/blender.
Is it possible to obtain the same results if needing to use alternate sugar types like erythritol, etc.?Thank you.
Author
Hi Sharon – I have not tried it so cannot tell you if it would work or not. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out.