Lemon Swirl Cheesecake

I cannot stop thinking about this cheesecake.  It was lemony, it was cheesecakey, it was..it was... FANTASTIC!  I love this thing! We ate so much of it, it was gone in 1 day..and I wanted more ;)  It is relatively easy to make, it just takes a little patience.  If you're looking for the perfect Cheesecake recipe, look no further.

Lemon Swirl Cheesecake



Ingredients You'll Need:


For lemon curd:

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

For crust:

1 1/3 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

For filling:

3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions on how to make the:


Lemon curd:

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together lemon zest, juice, and eggs. Stir in butter and cook, stirring constantly, until curd thickens, about 5 minutes. 
• Strain through fine mesh sieve and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until completely cooled.  The reason you want to strain this, is sometimes if you overcook the curd the egg curdles, and no one wants yucky scrambled clumps in their curd.  Or at least, I know I don't.  

Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on wire rack.

Cheesecake:

• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until well combined.
• Pour two-thirds of the cheesecake batter into the crust, and top with half of the lemon curd. Swirl gently with a knife. Top with remaining cheesecake batter and lemon curd, and repeat swirling. 
• Bake in center of oven for 50-60 minutes, until set (center may still jiggle a bit, it will firm up). Ovens vary.  Some may need to cook more than 50 some less, it really depends on the temperament of your oven.  Cool completely before serving and be prepared to be whisked away by the flavors.

Adapted from foodess.com

I hope you enjoy it!

Link Partied at Manic Monday , Thursdays Treasures