Lemon cheesecake with lemon curd, swiss meringue, and a shortbread crust.
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lemon meringue cheesecake
Hello hello! ☺︎ Nothing says spring quite like lemon desserts (although you could certainly enjoy this year-round.) This lemon meringue cheesecake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It starts out with a super easy shortbread cookie crust that gets topped with a super rich and creamy lemon vanilla cheesecake. While the cheesecake bakes, we’ll make a homemade lemon curd that’s perfectly zesty and tart. Once the cheesecake has completely cooled (preferably overnight), we’ll whip up a swiss meringue (- which involves cooking the egg whites to calm your – and my – raw egg ick), pile that super high on top of the cheesecake, and torch it up.
There are definitely quite a few steps to this cheesecake but the good news is that cheesecakes are the perfect make-ahead dessert. You can make the cheesecake and the lemon curd a day or two ahead of time and then all you have to do is make the meringue, assemble, and serve when you’re ready. So let’s get into it! ☺︎
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cream cheese, cream, and eggs about 1-2 hours before starting the cheesecake.
how to avoid cracks in a cheesecake
Here are my 4 best tips for avoiding cracks in your cheesecake –
- Mix the batter carefully – after adding in the eggs, you’ll want to make sure to only mix the batter until the eggs are fully incorporated. This will make sure we don’t add too much air into the batter, which will help keep the batter dense and avoid cracks forming on top.
- Tap the cheesecake on the counter – giving your cheesecake a few good taps on the counter prior to baking helps remove air bubbles that could cause cracks on top.
- Bake your cheesecake in a water bath – this helps to evenly bake the cheesecake from all sides. A 9″ cake pan will work great for this.
- Cool your cheesecake in the oven – once your cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door of the oven just *slightly* ajar. Let the cheesecake sit like that for one hour before transferring it to the fridge. This process allows your cheesecake to slowly come down to room temperature rather than quickly going from 350F to room temperature, which makes it less likely that the top will crack.
how to tell when a cheesecake is done baking
Cheesecake is done baking when it’s only slightly wobbly in the center. I like to temp my cheesecake as a more accurate way to tell when it’s done. A thermometer stuck into the middle of the cheesecake should read 155°F / 68°C.
wait to assemble the cake until you’re ready to serve it
The cheesecake itself can stay covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before serving it. However, you’ll want to wait until serving to put the lemon curd and meringue on top or else you’ll risk the meringue seeping and developing a weird texture.
TRY TO AVOID METAL UTENSILS WHEN MAKING THE CURD
It’s possible for the curd to take on a metallic taste if you are using a metal bowl or whisk, so to be safe I would recommend staying away from those when making the curd.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for lemon meringue cheesecake –
shortbread crust:
- Unsalted butter: salted or your favorite non-dairy butter stick will work perfectly here as well.
- Light brown sugar: for flavor and sweetness.
- All purpose flour: for structure.
lemon vanilla cheesecake:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake and what makes it tangy, rich, and creamy. I recommend full fat cream cheese for the best texture.
- Eggs: binds the batter together.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and helps lock in moisture.
- Cornstarch: for thickening up the cheesecake.
- Heavy whipping cream: for moisture and richness. You could also use sour cream here, but I think heavy cream provides the best texture.
- Lemon: you’ll want a fresh lemon for the juice and the zest.
- Vanilla bean paste: for flavor. I used vanilla bean paste because I love seeing the little speckles of vanilla, but vanilla extract will work perfectly in it’s place.
homemade lemon curd:
You can use store-bought lemon curd, but this lemon curd is super easy to make and has more flavor (in my opinion) than store bought.
- Egg yolks: thickens up the curd. We’ll use the egg whites for the meringue!
- Granulated sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the curd.
- Lemon: the star of the show – we’ll be using both the zest and the juice for maximum flavor.
- Salt: like with the dough, a bit of salt helps with the flavor and sweetness of the curd.
- Unsalted butter: helps thicken the curd and make it creamy. You can substitute in salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the curd! You can also use your favorite dairy-free butter stick as a substitute.
swiss meringue:
- Egg whites: the base of the meringue.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and helps with whipping air into the meringue.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the meringue.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
how to make lemon meringue cheesecake
Here are a few images of the process of making this lemon meringue cheesecake. You can find the full recipe and instructions at the end of this post.
- Start by mixing together all of the shortbread crust ingredients. Then, press the mixture into a lined springform pan and bake it.
- For the cheesecake, start by mixing together the lemon zest and sugar.
- Then, beat in the cream cheese and corn starch, followed by the eggs.
- Mix in the heavy whipping cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, then bake.
- Make the lemon curd. Start by cooking the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and egg yolks on the stove.
- Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and mix in the butter. Set the curd in the fridge to cool and thicken until you’re ready to assemble the cheesecake.
- When you’re ready to serve the cheesecake, make the swiss meringue.
- Top the cheesecake with the lemon curd and the swiss meringue. Use a kitchen torch to torch up the meringue, then serve and enjoy!
lemon meringue cheesecake recipe q&a
what size cake pan do I need?
You’ll need a 7″ springform pan for this cheesecake. You can use an 8″ springform, just note that your cheesecake will be thinner and will most likely require less baking time.
how should I store this cake?
You can store cheesecake in the fridge for 2 days before serving. You’ll want to wait to add on the meringue until you’re serving the cake because it won’t hold up well.
help – my meringue isn’t reaching stiff peaks
Your meringue may take more or less time to reach stiff peaks based on the type of mixer you use and what speed you use. However, if the meringue seems to be staying at the soft peaks stage for a long time, there may have accidentally been a bit of egg yolk in the mixture that’s preventing it from whipping up properly. You can still put it on the cheesecake and torch it up – it will just be a lot more messy, but just as delicious.
tools and ingredients:
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other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
- 60 g light brown sugar (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
Lemon Vanilla Cheesecake
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- zest of 2 large lemons
- 452 g cream cheese room temperature (two 8-oz bricks)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 110 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 40 g fresh lemon juice (3 tbsp.)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
Lemon Curd*
- 3 egg yolks
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 60 g lemon juice (¼ c.)
- zest of 1 large lemon
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 56 g unsalted butter cubed (¼ c.)
Swiss Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- 180 g granulated sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and sides of a 7" springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add in the brown sugar and flour and mix until you have little clumps of dough.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the springform pan, slightly pressing it ~1" up the sides as well, and bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, start making the cheesecake filling.
Lemon Vanilla Cheesecake
- Add the sugar and cornstarch to a medium sized mixing bowl, or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Zest the lemon into the sugar, then use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar (this will get you more flavor!)
- Add in the cream cheese and beat the mixture until the cream cheese is completely smooth and free of lumps.
- Add the two eggs into the bowl, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
- Add in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste. Again, beat the mixture on low speed just until cohesive.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust, then tap the pan on the counter a few times to help remove air from the batter.
- Fill a 10" cake pan, or any larger pan that can reasonably fit the 7" springform pan inside of it, a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tinfoil around the sides and bottom of your springform pan to help avoid the possibility of water seeping into it.
- Place the springform pan into the larger pan, then place the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of at least 155°F / 68°C.** If the cheesecake starts to brown on top, gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top of the pan for the rest of the baking time.
- Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. Once the hour has passed, cover the cheesecake and place it in the fridge to set overnight (at least 8 hours.)
Lemon Curd
- Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt to a small saucepan.
- Whisk the mixture vigorously over medium heat until it thickens, and reaches at least 170°F / 76°C. (This took me about 3-5 minutes)
- Remove the curd from the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any accidental cooked egg.
- Immediately whisk in the cubed butter until it melts and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Transfer the lemon curd to an airtight container and store it in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cheesecake.
Swiss Meringue
- Once your ready to serve the cheesecake, make the meringue. First, wipe down the bowl of your stand mixer with lemon juice – this will help get rid of any fats that may be present, which would interfere with your meringue.
- Add the egg whites and sugar to a medium sized saute pan set over medium heat. Constantly whisk the mixture until it reaches at least 170°F / 76°C.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (alternatively you can use a hand mixer, it will just take longer).
- Beat the mixture until soft peaks form, then add in the vanilla and salt. Continue to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
- Top the cheesecake with a thick layer of lemon curd, then dollop on the meringue and carefully spread it around.
- Use a kitchen torch to torch the meringue, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
I made this for my son’s 18th birthday, followed the recipe exactly and it turned out absolutely perfect! Delicious! I piped on & torched the swiss meringue a couple of hours before serving and it was all just amazing. Very happy!
Thank you so much Leisa, so happy you liked the cheesecake & happy belated birthday to your son!
I have made this cake multiple times now and I absolutely cannot get enough of it!! So much willpower is required to not eat it all in one sitting hahaha
Hi Erin, I want to take this to a party, can I make the meringue in advance then just put it on and torch it right before serving? Will the meringue survive like that? The recipe looks awesome by the way, can’t wait to try it!
Hi Gail! I’d highly recommend not making the meringue until you’re ready to serve the cake, but at most you can keep it separate in the fridge overnight and then place it on the cake to torch right before serving. Thank you so much!
I’m making this tonight , I don’t have. A blow torch can I put it under the grill instead ?
You could try putting it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes! I’d definitely keep a very close eye on it.