Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

A lemon cheesecake with lemon curd and toasted meringue being sliced.

5 from 1 vote

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is the perfect showstopping dessert recipe! It's made with a creamy lemon cheesecake filling baked over a buttery graham cracker crust. Luscious lemon curd and creamy toasted meringue make the perfect toppings!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 20

Chill Time6

Total Time8 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 521kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

½ cup unsalted butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs from about 16 full sheets of honey graham crackers
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamom optional

Lemon Cheesecake Batter

32 ounces cream cheese brick style, full fat, room temperature
¼ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 cup sour cream full fat, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 lemons zested, using only the zest, not the juice

Lemon Curd

2 tablespoons lemon zest from about 2 medium to large lemons
⅔ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup lemon juice from about 3 medium or 2 large lemons
¼ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into about 4 pieces

Meringue

4 large egg whites room temperature, see notes below
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

Set one oven rack in the center position and place one rack at the lowest rack position for the roasting pan (to be used while baking the cheesecake). Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Lightly spray the sides and bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with baking non stick spray. Place a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the parchment paper. Optional, but recommended, press two strips of parchment paper against the sides all around the pan. They should peak up over top the pan just a little. This isn't pictured but it's recommended. It will keep the cheesecake from sticking to the sides.
Melt the butter.
Use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or finely crush your own graham cracker sheets. To crush the graham cracker crumbs, pulse the graham crackers in a food processor to finely ground crumbs. Bread up any remaining pieces of graham crackers. Pour the crumbs into a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and cardamom (if using). Pour in the melted butter and stir til well combined.
Pour the graham cracker mixture into the prepared pan. Use your hands to spread it evenly on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Pat mixture down with medium pressure with your hands or using a small flat bottom measuring cup. Be sure to press crumbs into place until compact and not loose or crumbly but avoid pressing too hard.
Bake for 10 minutes. Crust should be golden brown. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 Fahrenheit.

Cheesecake Batter

Fill a kettle with water and heat the water to boil. You'll need enough water to add about an inch of water to your roasting pan, so you'll probably need a full kettle. Take out a 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan or a roasting pan. Set aside. This will be for the hot water bath.
Next, combine the sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer. Use your fingertips or an electric mixer to rub the zest into the sugar til combined. Add the room temperature cream cheese and beat with the mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat til just fully combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat only to combine. Stop mixing as soon as the last egg has been mixed into the batter. DO NOT OVERMIX.
Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Smooth the top of the cheesecake with an offset spatula or regular spatula.
Pour about an inch or a little more than an inch of hot water in the roasting pan or 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan. Place the roasting pan on the bottom/lower rack in the oven. Close oven door for a couple minutes to allow oven to return to 325 degrees. Next, set the cheesecake on the middle rack and quickly close the oven door to keep the steam from the hot water in the oven.
Bake for 60 to 65 minutes until the center is almost set. The center of the cheesecake should jiggle slightly when, with an oven mitt on, you gently shake the pan but the sides should be set. Turn off the oven. Crack the oven door open slightly and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, take the cheesecake out of the oven. Set the pan on a rack and allow cheesecake to cool uncovered til it's room temperature. Next, use an offset spatula or a small flexible rubber spatula and run it around the edges of the cheesecake. Press the spatula against the pan as you do this. This will make sure the cheesecake isn't sticking to the pan. Refrigerate the cheesecake uncovered for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight. While the cheesecake chills, make the lemon curd. Keep cheesecake in the fridge until you're ready to serve it.

Lemon Curd

Cut the butter into four pieces. Place the butter in a medium heat proof glass mixing bowl. Place a large fine sesh sieve over the bowl. Set aside.
Add the sugar and lemon zest to a medium pot. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
Pour the lemon juice, pinch of salt and eggs into the sugar and whisk to combine. Try to break up the egg whites while you whisk. Set pot over low heat.
Stir constantly with a silicone whisk while the curd cooks and until the curd thickens. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the curd registers 160 to 170 F on an instant read thermometer. You can also check for doneness using the spoon method. Dip a wooden spoon into the curd and run your finger across the back of the spoon to make a line. If the line stays clear, the curd is ready.
Remove pot from heat. Pour the curd through the sieve into the butter. Use a spatula to help press the curd throught the sieve. Set sieve aside then stir curd til the butter has melted completely. Pour the curd into an airtight container. Allow to cool til room temperature before covering the container. Set in the fridge to chill til you're ready to use it.

Meringue

Make the meringue just before serving. Make sure to allow time for the egg whites to come to room temperature. See notes section below for tips. When ready to make meringue, set the cheesecake on cake stand. Spread a layer of about ¾ cup of lemon curd over the cheesecake. Take out your kitchen blow torch and set it aside. Take out a large metal mixing bowl, a metal whisk and your whisk attachment. (I use my stand mixer and the metal bowl from the stand mixer to make meringue but you can also use a handheld mixer and a metal bowl). Wash the bowl, whisk attachment and a whisk (even if they are clean). Next, wipe them with vinegar or lemon juice and rinse with hot water. Dry with a clean kitchen towel. This will wash away any traces of grease or fat that may be in the bowl. Even a small amount of fat or yolk residue can prevent egg whites from forming stiff peaks.
Combine the room temperature egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan with 1" simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the mixing bowl is not touching the water. Set heat to low. Whisk constantly for about 8-9 minutes, until an instant thermometer registers 175℉ (be sure the thermometer isn't touching the bottom of your bowl). Remove from heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract then mix with the whisk attachment on high speed in stand mixer for about 5 minutes until mixture is thick and balled up inside the whisk attachment. Remove the whisk attachment and flip it so that the bottom is pointing up. The meringue should be stiff and only the very top strand should flip over.
Plop the meringue on top of the cheesecake. Leave it as is or gently spread with an offset spatula or swirl it with the back of a spoon. Torch the meringue with a kitchen blow torch just before serving. (Make sure to torch the sides of the meringue in addition to the peaks).
Use a long, sharp knife to cut the cheesecake. Wipe the knife clean and run it under hot water in between slicing for extra neat slices.

Video

Notes

Ground cardamom (optional): Grind your own cardamom or buy ground cardamom for the crust. You can omit cardamom or swap in some ground cinnamon.

Cream cheese and sour cream: Use full fat cream cheese and sour cream. They add the best flavor and texture. Use brick style cream cheese, not the tubs.

Room temperature ingredients: Take cream cheese, sour cream and eggs out of the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Room temperature ingredients make it possible for ingredients to get fully incorporated and makes your cheesecake creamy.

Avoid overmixing: Beat the cheesecake mixture til the ingredients are just incorporated. Over beating creates air bubbles which can result in cracks in the baked cheesecake.

Oven door: If your oven door opens too wide, try placing a wooden spoon in the oven door. This will keep the door propped open slightly while preventing it from opening too wide.

Instant read thermometer: I highly recommend an instant read thermometer for this recipe. It's especially helpful for making the curd and meringue.

Lemon curd: Make the homemade lemon curd, swap in store bought lemon curd or leave out the lemon curd. This recipe makes around 1 cup. I like to top the cheesecake with around 3/4 cup of curd. You can add a little more or less. The curd recipe is included in the recipe card. Check out the full recipe for making lemon curd post for step by step photos.

Bowl for meringue: For best results, use a large metal mixing bowl. I use the metal mixing bowl from my stand mixer. Before you start making the meringue, wash your mixing bowl, metal whisk and whisk attachment (even if they're clean). Next, wipe with lemon juice or vinegar, rinse with hot water and dry them well using a clean kitchen towel. I prefer to use a stand mixer to whip the meringue. You can also make it using a hand held mixer.

Egg whites: Make sure to use room temperature egg whites for the meringue. It's easiest to seperate eggs while they're cold. Seperate the eggs then set aside for at least 30 minutes to let them come to room temperature. Make sure that no egg yolks get into the whites. To be on the safe side, add each egg white one at a time into a small bowl. Make sure no yolks accidentally got added with the egg white then add the egg white to the mixing bowl one at a time.

Recipe adaptation: I adapted the cheesecake recipe from my lemon cheesecake with blueberry and adapted the meringue recipe from Bon Appetit.

Storage: Store leftover cheesecake without the meringue topping in an airtight container such as a cake carrier in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Make and toast the meringue just before serving. Once you top the cake with meringue, you should be able to store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Nutrition