FOOD
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
A rich, yet citrusy-sweet, lemon cheesecake topped with a fluffy, lemon-infused meringue.
FOOD
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
A rich, yet citrusy-sweet, lemon cheesecake topped with a fluffy, lemon-infused meringue.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 (16-ounce box) vanilla wafer cookies, ground
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Curd
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 stick unsalted butter, cubed
Candied Lemons
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 small lemons, thinly sliced
Meringue
- 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 large egg whites
To Assemble
- Cheesecake
- Lemon curd
- Candied lemon slices
- Marshmallow mixture
Steps
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a 7 or 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together ground wafers, zest and butter.
- Press crust into the bottom and sides of the prepared pan.
Filling
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated.
- Mix in sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and salt until smooth. Pour filling into the prepared crust.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Refrigerate and allow to set, covered, in fridge for at least 4 hours.
Curd
- In a 2-quart heavy saucepan set to low heat, whisk together juice, honey and eggs until smooth.
- Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
Candied Lemons
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, lemon juice and water, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
- Place lemon slices in pan and simmer about 15 minutes or until rinds are soft and translucent, flipping them occasionally.
- Remove slices to a piece of parchment paper.
Meringue
- About 20 minutes before ready to serve, in a small saucepan set over high heat, stir together 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream of tartar and water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low and let reduce slightly without stirring for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form. Turn mixer to high and gradually add in remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
- Once combined, very carefully pour hot sugar syrup into egg whites.
- Beat for 5 to 10 minutes until the bowl of the mixer has cooled to the touch and the meringue is thick and glossy.
To Assemble
- Remove cheesecake from fridge and remove from springform pan.
- Spread the lemon curd over the surface of the cheesecake, arrange candied lemon slices over top and then spoon the marshmallow mixture on top of the pie.
- Use a kitchen torch to lightly toast the marshmallow topping to create golden peaks before serving.