Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Having lived in close proximity to several Cheesecake Factories in Southern California made me spoiled. Where I live now in Colorado the nearest Cheesecake Factory is over an hour away. This makes me really sad since its my favorite restaurant, but at least now I have an excuse to try to make cheesecake myself. :) This recipe was very easy to make. It is very rich so consider serving it along side some fresh fruit to balance it out. 

Plan ahead, the cheesecake needs to chill overnight before serving.

Ingredients:

CRUST:
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts of peacans
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 
  
• FILLING:
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• TOPPING:
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a bowl, combine crumbs, nuts and sugar, stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a buttered 10 inch pan, set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, beating on low speed just until combined. Add lemon juice, peel and vanilla, beat just until blended. Pour into crust.

Bake for 55 minutes or until center is almost set (only a little batter remains on knife after checking the center). Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Combine topping ingredients, spread over filling. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen then cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with seasonal fresh fruit and lemon twist as garnish.

Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. It does well when frozen. To defrost, simply place cheesecake in fridge for several hours. If you can't wait that long, place on plate, cover with upside down bowl and defrost in microwave for about a minute.