Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake

Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake

from ellejayathome.com
225 min

Lemon poppyseed cheesecake is the light, fresh, "springtimey" dessert you're looking for as the garden blooms and the weather warms up.

Ingredients

  • 1 package graham crackers pulverized
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
  • 24 oz cream cheese (room temperature (3 8-oz-blocks))
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp poppyseeds
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • ⅛ tsp yellow gel food coloring (optional)
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 large lemons
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp almond extract

Directions

  1. 1

    Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven, and preheat oven to 300°F.

  2. 2

    Mix together the melted butter and crushed graham crackers. Then, press them firmly into the bottom of a spring form pan.

  3. 3

    Cream 3 blocks of cream cheese with ¼ cup of sugar. Stream in the condensed milk, mixing until smooth. With the mixer running, add eggs one at a time into the cream cheese mixture. Add in the lemon juice and zest, almond extract, poppyseeds, and yellow food color (if using). Mix slowly until incorporated.

  4. 4

    Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust. Firmly tap* the pan against the counter (like you're dropping it on the counter at a height of one or two inches) to bring the air bubbles to the surface. You might use a toothpick to pop stubborn bubbles.

  5. 5

    Place the cheesecake on the top rack of the oven. Pour a cup of room temperature water into the rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack. Promptly shut the oven.

  6. 6

    Bake for 75 minutes at 300°F. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 2 hours. Remove and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

  7. 7

    To serve, run a paring knife under hot water and carefully trace the knife between the crust and the springform pan. Gently unlatch the pan and remove the base from the sides. Clean the knife, and run under hot water again to cut cake into slices.

  8. 8

    Add the sugar to a small saucepan. Zest both lemons directly into the sugar. Juice both lemons into the sugar as well. Add in the eggs, and whisk until homogenous.

  9. 9

    Whip the butter for a minute to break it up and add air.