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Lemon Shortbread Cheesecake

A smooth, delicate cheesecake. Lemon zest in the crust brings out the tang of the cheese. Prep and Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus at least 4 hours cooling and chilling time.

This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “These Sweet and Savory Recipes Let You Make the Most of Delicious Spring Fruits.”

Lemon Shortbread Cheesecake




Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon
 7 ounces shortbread cookies
 2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest (from about 3 lemons), divided
 1 cup sugar, divided
 12 ounces fresh, mild goat cheese (such as Haystack Boulder Chèvre)
 10 ounce cream cheese
 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
 1/2 cup sour cream
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 2 eggs
 8 to 10 medium strawberries, stemmed
Step 1
1

Preheat oven to 325°. Crumble cookies into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. In a medium bowl, toss 2 tbsp. lemon zest with 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar. Add cookie crumbs and mix well. Butter sides of an 8-in. pan with removable rim and press cookie mixture into bottom; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan.

Step 2
2

Lower temperature to 275°. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat goat cheese and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add remaining lemon zest, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, the orange zest, 3/4 cup sugar, the sour cream, and the vanilla; beat well. Scrape bowl and add eggs; beat well.

Step 3
3

Pour batter onto crust and bake about 1 hour, or until set on the sides but still quite jiggly in the center and only slightly sticky. Turn oven off, crack oven door, and let cake cool in oven 2 hours. Remove and let cool completely; then chill, covered, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Step 4
4

Run a thin knife between cake and rim of pan and remove rim. Thinly slice strawberries, then toss with remaining 2 1/2 tbsp. sugar and lemon juice. Arrange on cake.

Step 5
5

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutrition Facts

0 servings

Serving size


Amount per serving
Calories293
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18g24%

Saturated Fat 10g50%
Cholesterol 70mg24%
Sodium 229mg10%
Total Carbohydrate 25g10%

Dietary Fiber 0.4g2%
Protein 8g

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.