Lemon Cheesecake

With most of you choosing the lemon cheesecake, I decided to try a whole new recipe. Usually I stick with my favorite cheesecake recipe and add some new ingredients, but it’s a new year so I figured, I’d try a new recipe! And I’m sure glad I did, because this classic cheesecake recipe from Martha Stewart tops the one I’ve been using last year. The original recipe is a Classic Cheesecake with a bit of lemon, so I doubled the lemon in the recipe and it had a sweet hint of lemon, which I absolutely loved! My new go-to cheesecake recipe for sure! Rating: 5 out of 5.

Lemon Cheesecake recipe: adapted from Martha Stewart's Classic Cheesecake

Ingredients:
- 2 ½ pounds cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 12 graham crackers (3-by-5 inch)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make crust: Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan. In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until fine crumbs form; add melted butter, sugar, and salt, and pulse to combine. Press crumb mixture into bottom and about 1 inch up side of pan. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven to 325 degrees.
- Set a kettle of water to boil. Make filling: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in lemon zest and juice, and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream.
- Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 1 ¾ hours. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Cover; chill overnight before serving.


I made this cheesecake late at night and I stayed up baking till 1 am, so I don't have any pictures of the making process, just the finished cheesecake.

Creamy, light and lemony! The perfect cheesecake ♥.