Crust
Ingredients
- 5 oz animal crackers or social tea biscuits
- 3 tbs sugar
- 4 tbs butter, melted
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F.
- Pulse the cookies and sugar in a food processor until evenly sandy.
- Add butter in a stream while pulsing food processor; continue to pulse until mixture is evenly mostened.
- Spread crumbs on bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and press down.
- Bake about 15 to 18 minutes until lightly browned. Cool before adding filling.
Filling
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbs grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 lb cream cheese
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Steps
- Process 1/4 cup sugar and lemon zest in food processor until sugar is yellow and lemon zest broken down. Add remaining 1 cup sugar.
- In a standing mixture with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs 2 at a time and beat until evenly incorporated.
- Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and mix just until incorporated. Add heavy cream and mix.
- Pour batter into springform pan on top of the crust. Bake until center jiggles slightly, sides just start to puff, and themometer registers 150 °F. Cool at room temperature 2 hours.
Lemon Curd Topping
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 tbs heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Steps
- Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes but keep chilled.
- Heat lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan until hot but not boiling.
- Whisk eggs and egg yolk together in a non-reactive bowl; gradually beat in sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in hot lemon juice.
- Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and reaches 170 °F.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in cold butter until evenly incorporated. Stir in cream, vanilla, and salt.
- Pour cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a non-reactive bowl. Refrigerate with plastic wrap on the surface.
- Spread lemon curd evenly on cooled cheesecake, still in springform pan.
- Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Remove springform sides to serve.