If you love Lemon Bars, and cheesecake, these Lemon Cheesecake Bars are sure to become your new favorite. So creamy and tangy, you'll want to eat the whole pan.
If you love the taste of lemon and the creaminess of cheesecake, you're not going to want to miss out on this creamy, tangy dessert. From the base to the delicious lemon cheesecake layer, there's a good chance that you just might eat the whole thing in one sitting.
This Lemon Bar Cheesecake is certain to be one of your favorite lemon desserts. Lemon desserts have some of the best flavors and taste.
There's just something so insanely good about them. Maybe it's the fact that they offer a little bit of sweetness with a little bit of tanginess and keep our tastebuds guessing on when we're going to have the next bite.
For as long as I can remember eating desserts (which is literally forever), cheesecake and lemon flavors have been two of my favorite things. These bars do not disappoint. And as much as I love this simple cheesecake recipe, I'm also a huge fan of our Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake as well. A totally different flavor but still totally delicious.
How To Make These Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients needed to make Lemon Cheesecake Bars From Scratch
Base
- all purpose flour
- light brown sugar
- unsalted butter
Cheesecake
- full fat cream cheese
- sugar
- large eggs
- full fat sour cream
- small lemon, zested, optional
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
Substitutions and Variations
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this Lemon Cheesecake Bar Recipe.
- Add Flavor To Base: You can add up to ⅛ cup crushed or ground almonds or add 1 tablespoon unsweetened, grated coconut.
- Serve With: whipped cream, sprinkling of powdered sugar, lemon rind, lemon curd, fresh or frozen and thawed and drained fruits of choice or canned pie filling of your choice (i.e., blueberry, cherry).
How to Make Made From Scratch Lemon Cheesecake
Base
- Preheat oven to 350F. Set rack to second position from bottom of oven.
- Using unsalted butter, lightly butter the bottom of a 9" square pan being careful to not butter up the sides of the pan.
- Or make a sling from 2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Cut to fit the bottom and sides of the pan. Leave some overhang on both sheets (which will serve as handles) and insert into the pan perpendicular to one another. Lightly butter the top piece of foil on the bottom only.
- Add flour, sugar and butter into a bowl or your blender. Using a pastry cutter, pastry blender or a hand mixer, mix until crumbly.
- Press evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or golden brown.
- Place pan on rack and allow to cool completely.
Bars
- Reduce oven to 325F. Set rack to middle position of oven.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula, until no lumps remain.
- Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition.
- Add the eggs, one at at time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, if using, and beat in.
- Batter will be 'soupy' in texture. To ensure that no lumps remain, use a slotted spoon to check for lumps and incorporate into batter.
- Pour batter over cooled base.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning half-way through.
- Bars are done when edges have slightly come away from the sides of the pan and appears set on top. (It will be somewhat jiggly in the center but will firm up with cooling.)
- Set pan on rack and allow to cool 2-3 hours.
- If using a tinfoil sling remove from pan and cut bars to desired size.
- Bars can be served at this point or can be chilled for 3 to 24 hours.
Can you freeze leftover cheesecake?
You can. If you find that it's too much for you to eat in one sitting, just freeze some for later for you to come back and enjoy. The great thing about cheesecake is that it actually freezes really well.
Just be certain to use a freezer-proof storage container that will give you an airtight seal. Then you can place it in your freezer to unthaw at a later point in time.
FAQ
Do you have questions about lemon cheesecake bars? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about them.
If you keep noticing that the top of your cheesecake is cracking, it might be because it's getting too dry when baking. This happens and isn't uncommon. All you need to do is place a small plate of water on the rack underneath it when you're baking it and that should help with the issue.
While I'm certain we'd like to claim it if we could, it's actually a dessert that has been traced back to Greece. And while the cooking methods might have varied back then to what they are now, it's been estimated that cheesecake has been around for 4,000 years or more!
There are a few different ways that you can make cheesecake and one other option happens to be a no-bake cheesecake. This means that there aren't any eggs added to the recipe and it doesn't actually have to be baked or cooked in the oven at all. This Lemon Cheesecake Bars recipe is one that has eggs in it and has to be baked so it is a longer process than a no-bake cheesecake.
Video
More Lemon Recipes
Do you like lemon? Here some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 9 x 9 inch cake pan or equivalent
- Pastry Cutter optional
- Hand mixer stand mixer
Ingredients
Base
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed or white sugar if desired
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter
Crust Variations
- add up to 2 tablespoons crushed or ground almonds
- add 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 8-ounce packages full fat cream cheese quality brand such as Philadelphia, room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup full fat sour cream
- ½ small lemon, zested optional; finely grated
- 1-3 teaspoons lemon juice (½ of a small lemon)
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract clear or regular
Topping Ideas For Serving, if desired
- whipped cream
- sprinkling of powdered sugar
- lemon rind
- fresh or frozen and thawed and drained fruits of choice
- canned pie filling of your choice (i.e., blueberry, cherry)
Instructions
Base
- Preheat oven to 350F. Set rack to second position from bottom of oven.
- Using unsalted butter, lightly butter the bottom of a 9" square pan being careful to not butter up the sides of the pan.
- Or make a sling from 2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Cut to fit the bottom and sides of the pan. Leave some overhang on both sheets (which will serve as handles) and insert into the pan perpendicular to one another. Lightly butter the top piece of foil on the bottom only.
- Add flour, sugar and butter into a bowl or your blender. Using a pastry cutter, pastry blender or a hand mixer, mix until crumbly.
- Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or golden brown. Place pan on rack and allow to cool completely.
Cheesecake Layer
- Reduce oven to 325F. Set rack to middle position of oven.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula, until no lumps remain.
- Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition.
- Add the eggs, one at at time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, if using, and beat in.
- Batter will be 'soupy' in texture. To ensure that no lumps remain, use a slotted spoon to check for lumps and incorporate into batter.
- Pour batter over cooled base. Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning half-way through.
- Bars are done when edges have slightly come away from the sides of the pan and appears set on top. (It will be somewhat jiggly in the center but will firm up with cooling.)
- Set pan on rack and allow to cool 2-3 hours. If using a tinfoil sling remove from pan and cut bars to desired size. Bars can be served at this point or can be chilled for 3 to 24 hours.
Notes
- Slice right: Use a sharp, warm knife to slice through the filling and the crust, and make the perfect lemon cheesecake squares.
- Egg smart: If you have brown eggs, use them instead of white eggs. Brown eggs are richer in flavor, and have a deep yellow yolk which adds that nice pop of color to the cheesecake bars.
- Temperature matters: Make sure the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs are at room temperature when you’re using them. This will ensure the cheesecake batter is nice and smooth.
- One at a time: Don’t dump all the eggs into the mixture at the same time. Add them gradually, one at a time, and don’t overmix the batter.
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