Lemon Curd Cheesecake

This Lemon Curd Cheesecake is rich, bright, and tangy. With a crunchy crust, a creamy center, and a sweet tart topping, it's the perfect make ahead dessert all year 'round.

The magic of some foods is more instantly apparent than others, especially things with bright, bold flavors or colors. Spicy peppers bring on an instant energetic shift. The smell of baking bread evokes a feeling of comfort and safety. Biting into a fresh summer peach, the juice dripping down your arm, is a deeply sensual experience. Food and witchcraft are made for each other.

I love a basic recipe that allows for slight modifications to change the energy of the dish in an instant. It's like working with a blank canvas that allows you to be super creative with just minor adjustments. Whatever the season or occasion, you can shift the vibes with a simple flavor adjustment. It totally sets the mood for everyone who eats it.

What makes this Lemon Curd Cheesecake so awesome?

This Lemon Curd Cheesecake is perfect for customizing. Yes, this is the lemon version, and it's bright and sunny with a creamy cheesecake and a crunchy, thick and sturdy crust. I would happily serve and eat this any time of year, whether it's the height of summer (if there's air conditioning in your kitchen) or the dead of winter. The vibrant flavor and happy vibes of lemon curd are always something I'm craving.

But the base cheesecake itself can easily support any topping. It's super creamy without being overly sweet. It sets reliably without cracking as long as you have the patience to cool it slowly. So you can confidently bake it up and top it with whatever flavors you love. Use passion fruit curd or lime curd, or open a can of fruit pie filling and spread that over the top. Make your own homemade jam with fruit from your garden, or drizzle over some chocolate sauce. The possibilities are endless. How awesome is that?

Make it magical

Lemons are actually ruled by the Moon, so in addition to their joyful cleansing energy, they can also help you amp up your intuition. They're also good for unity, clarity, friendship, and love. Cheese carries transformative properties, but it also brings happiness and success. Oats, which are used in the biscuits to make the crust, bring stability and abundance. This is the perfect spell for friendship and happiness.

For all the details on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe. The full details are in the recipe card below.

• Oat biscuits - such as hobnobs, you can also use graham crackers if you can get them
• Butter - melted
• Salt
• Cream cheese - room temperature
• Sour cream
• Sugar
• Eggs - room temperature
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon curd - store bought is absolutely fine

Tips for making Lemon Curd Cheesecake

Baked cheesecake have a reputation for being fiddly, but if you start with all room temperature ingredients, mix it thoroughly, and let it cool slowly, you're gonna be fine. So start by setting all your ingredients out on the counter for about two hours before you start baking. You may also want to wrap your springform pan in foil since you will be baking this in a water bath.

For this recipe, you'll start by making the crust. I do this in the food processor. Crush up your oat biscuits roughly in your hands and toss them in the processor. Give them a good blitz until they look like sand. Then add your melted butter and process until blended. You'll press these into the bottom of your springform pan, and then just stash it in the fridge until you're ready for it later.

Mixing up your cheesecake filling is easy, but some patience will help. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar with an electric mixer. Give the bowl a scrape, then mix in your eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape the bowl again and give it another good mix. You want your batter to be as smooth a possible. Then you'll pour this over your crust and place your springform pan in a roasting pan and put it in the oven. Before you close the door, pour hot water from a recently boiled kettle into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of your springform pan. Then just let it bake. You'll know its done when it's still a bit wobbly in the middle.

Cooling your cheesecake

The cooling process may seem lengthy, but this is how you avoid cracks. Start by just leaving the door of your oven open a crack and leaving the cheesecake in the oven as it cools for an hour. Then sit it on the countertop until it's cooled to room temperature before storing it in the fridge overnight.

To top your cheesecake, you'll simply warm the lemon curd so it's more of a spreadable consistency, then cover your cheesecake with it. Easy peasy.

Lemon Curd Cheesecake will make you very very happy. I hope you give it a try.

Looking for more awesome cheesecake recipes? Try these no-bake Nutella Cheesecake Parfaits or a beautiful White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake.

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Recipe slightly adapted from Broma Bakery.