This was delicious. I’m glad I made it. It seemed to me that the directions weren’t correct concerning the egg whites. I didn’t put the egg whites in the cheese cake.
Super recipe that is sure to impress your guests. So delicious. For some reason I pushed the Graham cracker base up the sides as well and it worked out well. I made the lemon curd from another recipe on Allrecipe website and used the egg yolks from the meringue.
To make the cheesecake more creamy, make it in a food processor, rather than using a stand mixer/hand mixer. When the cake cooled, I had a big crack in the top, but that filled in with the homemade lemon curd. I took the springform ring OFF when I did the meringue, and it worked perfectly. Delicious dessert that I will make again.
First two times I made this it is fabulous, like two favorites in one! The third time I tried using parchment paper (as the tip suggests) to line the spring pan and it was a disaster, the middle did not fully cook. The parchmenthindered the temperature.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, zested
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups lemon curd
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter together in a bowl until evenly combined; press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time,
- beating well after each addition. Mix lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest into cream cheese mixture, scraping bottom and sides of the bowl. Spread mixture over cookie crust in the springform pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until almost set in the center, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 3 to 4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat egg whites in a bowl using an electric mixer until soft peaks form; add 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
- Spread lemon curd over cheesecake. Mound whipped egg whites over the curd, sealing around all the edges.
- Bake in the preheated oven until meringue is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Chill uncovered in refrigerator, about 1 hour.
