Lemon Meringue Cheesecake - Fresh Bean Bakery

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

*This will be more lemon curd than you need for the cheesecake. You can keep the extra lemon curd stored in the fridge for 1 week, or you can freeze it to use on your next lemon meringue cheesecake ☺︎

**Every oven and pan is different. If your cheesecake does not look done around 70 minutes and is not reaching an internal temperature of 170F/76C, continue baking it until it does.

Nutrition