Light Lemon Curd Cheesecake*

I did it. I actually made something with all that lemon curd. Granted, this only used about 1/4 of one batch, so I've got about a good 11 batches of *something* yet to go. Are you proud of me? I'm proud of me. These weird culinary obsessions often sit unused until, well, they can no longer be used.

Without further ado;

For the crust:
6 Graham Crackers (3 plain, 3 cinnamon) broken into inch sized bits
2 tbsp butter, still cold

Pulse crackers in food processor until almost fully chopped. Add butter and process until mixture appears crumbly. Press onto the bottom of 6” round cake pan (This is sooo much easier to deal with than the whole crumbs/melted butter nonsense and it turns out exactly the same!). Bake at 350 for about 7 minutes, remove from oven to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300. Assemble the filling.


For the filling:
2 blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 can sweetened condensed milk (just eyeball it)
zest of one lemon

Beat the tarnation out of the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. If your CC is room temperature this doesn't take much time. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Combine all other ingredients in separate bowl, mix well. Slowly pour egg mixture into cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Be sure to scrape the mixer once or twice. Add the zest from one lemon and pour into the prepared pan.

Line a pan just larger than the one you are using with a washcloth. Set the cheesecake filled pan into the center and add boiling water to the outer pan to come up the side of the center pan about one inch. Slowly slide the rack into the oven to avoid spilling and bake for 45-50 minutes.

It will not look done and that is ok! When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and open the oven for a minute to let some heat out. Then close the door and let the cheesecake sit for another 45-50 minutes. I have actually been known to forget all about them for a good 5 hours before and they still turn out just great. There is enough heat in the oven walls, water, and cake itself to finish the cooking but it cools off and miraculously avoids overcooking.

If you have not forgotten your cake in the oven, remove it and let it cool to room temp, then chill for at least 4 hours. To get the cake out of the pan, dip it in hot water for a minute, scrape gently around the outside, invert onto a spare plate, then invert again onto a serving plate. It sounds tedious, but seriously, it's so much better than the springform method.

After the cake is cooled and on the serving plate, garnish with a layer of lemon curd on the top and a sprig of mint. Depressingly, this cake actually cracked about an inch somewhere in the middle, but can you tell**? No way Jose! That my friends is the magic of smearing stuff on top of cheesecake. Subtle***, creamy, light lemon deliciousness in a size that instills less guilt for eating the whole thing****!!!

(*Light as in lightly lemon, not lightly caloric...)
(**This stressed me. Like, seriously. I haven't had a cheesecake crack in years and I do not use cornstarch to bind the molecules... Thank goodness for yummy schmear.)
(***If you like lemon deserts, this may not be enough flavor for you. Add some of your lemon curd to the batter and leave a thicker layer on top.)
(****Yes, I've been know to eat entire cheesecakes single handedly. This is why I downsized pans and stopped refusing to share results that were slightly imperfect. My thighs are thanking me for those simple modifications.)