Lemon? Cheesecake? This is lemon squares kicked up a notch!
These bars are the ultimate! The recipe for this irresistible dessert belongs to Elinor Klivan and was in The
These luscious bars are a bit out of the ordinary because of the way the filling is prepared. Lemon zest is added to the rich dough and pressed into a baking pan after which, the creamy cheesecake layer is spread over the top of the dough. Then the ripple affect takes hold when a lemon curd mixture is swirled through the batter.
When serving, these incredibly yummy bars are not cut into traditional cheesecake slices but into squares instead. The end result is a delicious, decadent bar that looks pretty impressive also!
Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars
Crust:
1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, chilled
Filling:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup cold water
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cups sugar
¼ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh berries, optional
Method:
For crust:
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Butter a 9” square nonstick baking pan.
Pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor.
Add butter; pulse until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
Press dough evenly over bottom and ½” up the sides of the pan.
Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
For filling:
Dissolve cornstarch in cold water in small bow.
Whisk yolks with ¾ cup of the sugar and the lemon juice in medium saucepan.
Whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
Cook over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, about 4 minutes.
Raise heat to medium-high; heat to a boil, whisking constantly.
Cook until mixture is thick and glossy, 1 minute.
Strain into a heatproof bowl.
Stir in lemon zest.
Let cool.
Beat cream cheese with remaining 1 cup sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until smooth.
Beat in the flour until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.
Add sour cream and vanilla, beat until batter is smooth.
Pour cream cheese batter over the crust.
Smooth with a spatula.
Place lemon mixture in dollops on cheesecake batter.
Carefully swirl it into the batter using the tip of a knife or skewer.
Bake until golden around edges and just set, 40-45 minutes.
Run a knife around edges to loosen the cheesecake.
Cool on wire rack 1 hour.
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Cut into bars and garnish with berries, if desired.
16 bars
Note: When slicing bars, run a knife under hot water, slice bars, wiping blade after making each cut.
Give it a try, you’ll love them!
