Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1 and 34 cups 210g graham cracker crumbs about 14 fullsheet graham crackers
5 Tablespoons 71g unsalted butter melted
14 cup 50g granulated sugar
Cheesecake
1 and 14 cups 250g granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon packed lemon zest about 1 lemon
32 ounces 904g fullfat brick cream cheese softened to room temperature
12 cup 120ml fresh lemon juice about 34 lemons at room temperature
13 cup 80g sour cream or plain yogurt at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs at room temperature
Toppings
34 cup lemon curd highly recommended
homemade whipped cream
lemon slices andor fresh berries
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the lowermiddle position and preheat oven to 350F 177C.
Make the crust If youre starting out with full graham crackers use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in sugar until combined and then stir in the melted butter. Mixture will be sandy. Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of an ungreased 9inch springform pan. Pat down until the mixture is no longer crumbycrumbly you can use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to help smooth it out if needed. Prebake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the hot pan on a large piece of aluminum foil. The foil will wrap around the pan for the water bath in step 6. Allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.
Make the lemon sugar Place sugar in your food processor or blender. Spoon lemon zest on top. Pulseblend until the two are blended and the lemon zest is slightly broken down about 1012 pulses.
Continue with the filling Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and lemon sugar together on mediumhigh speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice sour cream and vanilla extract then beat on mediumhigh speed until fully combined. On medium speed add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter stop mixing. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools avoid overmixing the batter.
Pour cheesecake batter into warm crust. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smooth it into an even layer.
Prepare the simple water bath see Note for alternative method If needed for extra visuals see my How to Make a Cheesecake Water