Lemon Cheesecake

 Lemon Cheesecake is a graham cracker crust filled with a light and smooth lemonflavored filling all topped with a creamy sour cream layer. If you appreciate the vibrant and refreshing taste of lemons and love cheesecake this will be your new favorite dessert! I also have a cheesecake recipe that is my goto when I want to enjoy it plain or add my favorite toppings.
Ingredients Substitutions
Crust Be sure the graham cracker crumbs are completely covered in the melted butter. This helps hold the crust together no one wants to miss out on any part of the buttery crust! You could also use a storebought crust. Or try it with a different kind of cookie crust like vanilla wafers or gingersnaps.

Filling Be sure the ingredients specifically the cream cheese sour cream and eggs are at room temperature. This helps prevent lumps in the cheesecake.
Sour Cream You will need sour cream for the filling and the topping. Sour cream in the filling helps give the cheesecake a smoother texture with just a hint of tartness. And then when added with confectioners sugar for the topping it adds another layer of flavor. Plus it can cover any cracks or imperfections that may be in the cheesecake. You can also substitute it with Greek yogurt.
Lemons Since this is a lemon cheesecake I expected lemon in each bite and this recipe does just that! You will need 2 large lemons. First zest the lemons to get about 2 tablespoons of zest. Then squeeze out lemon juice from each to get about 6 tablespoons total of juice. Depending on the size of the lemons you may need an extra.
Is The Water Bath Important?
In one word yes. Using a water bath when baking cheesecakes helps prevent the edges from overcooking. It also results in the cheesecake being more even colored without cracks. The reason is all about science. The water cannot get hotter than 212F since this is when it turns to steam. This means the heat is distributed more evenly and the water is like a buffer protecting the edges from overcooking. The steam also helps with the smooth top of the cheesecake adding moisture while the cheesecake is baking.
How To Tell If Cheesecake Is Done
You will know the cheesecake is done when the sides are set but the middle is still a bit jiggly. You can check the internal temperature of the cheesecake to