This baked lemon meringue cheesecake is rich and spring like. It has a buttery graham cracker crust, a lemon cheesecake, a tart lemon curd and a fluffy toasted meringue. Every bite is amazing!
Jump straight to the recipe!
🍋A lemon meringue pie/cheesecake combo
I am so excited to share this recipe! I love both lemon meringue pie and cheesecake so it made total sense to put them together. This baked lemon meringue cheesecake is so good and makes a perfect spring dessert.
I used a graham cracker crust for this cheesecake, as I do for most cheesecakes. The graham cracker pairs perfectly with such a light lemon taste of the cheesecake.
The cheesecake gets it's lemon flavour from both lemon juice and lemon zest. Also the full one cup of sour cream adds tons of flavour. The lemon curd has the perfect tart flavour to break up the sweetness of the cheesecake. It also gets it's lemon flavour from both juice and zest.
The meringue topping is perfectly fluffy. I decided not to pipe it on top and spooned it on instead. I used the back of a spoon to make the peaks in the meringue. Lastly I used a kitchen torch to lightly toast it.
If you like lemon desserts, try my Italian lemon cream cake, lemon pound cake loaf, or lemon lovers trifle.
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Cream cheese - I use full fat cream cheese for my cheesecakes. Low fat cream cheese would work too, but the cheesecake would be less rich.
- All purpose flour - A bit of flour in the cheesecakes helps it to not crack.
- Sour cream - I use full fat sour cream, but a lower fat sour cream would work well too.
🔪Instructions
Make the crust by mixing the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Pour it into a 9-inch springform pan that is greased and lined with parchment paper. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan and then bake it.
While the crust is cooling, make the cheesecake filling. Mix the cream cheese and sugar together until it is smooth. Add in the flour, sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix until well combined, and then mix in the eggs one at a time. Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan.
Place the cheesecake into a water bath. I know! Many of you will want to skip this step. Your cheesecake will be way better if you don't though! The water bath will ensure your cheesecake bakes evenly, and helps against cracks and browned edges.
How to make a water bath
Place aluminum foil around the base of the springform pan and up the sides. Place a crock pot liner bag over top of the aluminum foil. Water can seep into the little crevices of the aluminum foil, so I like to add the crock pot liner bag over it for extra caution. No one likes a soggy crust! Place the springform pan into a larger pan and pour water into the larger pan to go halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Lemon curd
After the cheesecake is baked and has chilled in the refrigerator, make the lemon curd. Place 8 egg yolks into a medium sized bowl and set it aside. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar to a medium saucepan, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Pour the boiled mixture into the egg yolks, whisking quickly to temper them.
Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Place the lemon curd into a fresh bowl and mix in the cold butter. Place plastic wrap over the surface of the curd and refrigerate until chilled.
Meringue topping
Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla, and egg whites into a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and reaches a temperature between 120°F - 140°F on a thermometer. Remove it from the heat and use an electric whisk to beat the mixture to stiff peaks.
Assemble the cheesecake
Place the cheesecake onto a cake stand and spoon the lemon curd on top in an even layer. Spoon the meringue on top of the lemon curd. I piled it on in spoon fulls and then used the back of a spoon to make some peaks all over. You could also use a piping bag to pipe the meringue on the cheesecake.
Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue. Refrigerate the cheesecake until it is ready to serve. The cheesecake will last between 3-4 days refrigerated.
For more step by step photos, see my web story for lemon meringue cheesecake!
✔️Expert tips
- Make sure the cheesecake filling ingredients are at room temperature. This is key for a smooth texture.
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. This will help bake the cheesecake evenly (no brown edges), and will help against cracking.
- Cook the lemon curd until it thickens like pudding. If you take it off the heat too early, it will be too watery.
- You can put the lemon curd back over heat after adding butter and you think it's not thick enough.
💭FAQs
You can make the cheesecake the day before. It needs to be refrigerated for at least 8 hours before serving anyways.
Yes, the whole cake can be frozen, or individual slices. Put the cake onto a freezer safe plate until the cake is frozen solid, about 2 hours. Transfer the cake into a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight.
I recommend it because it cooks the egg whites to a safe temperature for consumption. Heating the meringue also melts the sugar so you get a smooth meringue.
This is because water is pooled between the curd and meringue. To prevent this, add the meringue on top of still warm lemon curd
📖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 9 inch Springform pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 10 tablespoons salted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest about 2 medium lemons
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Lemon Curd
- 8 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup lemon juice about 3 medium lemons
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup salted butter
Meringue Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a small bowl. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then let it cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- Turn the oven down to 300°F. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until well combined. Add flour, sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mixing well after each one.
- Pour the cheesecake into the springform pan. Wrap aluminum foil around the base and up the sides of the sprinform pan. Make sure it goes more then half way up the sides because the water bath will be halfway up the pan. Wrap a crockpot liner around the springform pan and tie it. Place the springform pan into a larger pan and fill t he larger pan with water until it is halfway up the sprinform pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 300°F. Do not open the oven door while the cheesecake is baking as the cheesecake could crack. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, check the cheesecake. It should be slightly jiggly in the center. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door closed for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for another 30 minutes. This allows the cheesecake to cool slowly. Again, this is to avoid cracks.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and store it in the refrigerator while you make the lemon curd and meringue topping.
Lemon Curd
- Place 8 egg yolks into a medium sized bowl and set it aside. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar to a medium saucepan, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Pour the boiled mixture into the eggs, whisking the eggs quickly to temper them. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Pour the curd into a fresh bowl and mix in the cold butter. Place plastic wrap over the surface of the curd. This is to prevent it from forming a crust. Let it cool while you make the meringue topping.
Meringue Topping
- Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla and egg whites into a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and reaches a temperature between 120°F - 140°F on a thermometer.
- Remove it from the heat and use an electric whisk to beat the mixture to stiff peaks.
Assemble the Cheesecake
- Place the cheesecake onto a cake stand and spoon the lemon curd on top of it in an even layer.
- Spoon the meringue on top of the lemon curd. I piled it on in spoonfuls and then used the back of a spoon to make some peaks all over. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake until it is ready to serve. The cheesecake will last between 3-4 days.
Notes
- Make sure the cheesecake filling ingredients are at room temperature. This is key for a smooth texture.
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. This will help bake the cheesecake evenly (no brown edges), and will help against cracking.
- Cook the lemon curd until it thickens like pudding. If you take it off the heat too early, it will be too watery.
- You can put the lemon curd back over heat after adding butter and you think it's not thick enough.
- Keep the cheesecake refrigerated and it will last between 3-4 days.
Kathy
I would have given it a 5 but, it's a lot of work! Delicious for sure.
Nina
I'm glad you enjoyed it Kathy! It can also be made over several days to make it easier 🙂