Lemon Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. Cheesecake throughout most of my childhood were the boxed, no bake mixes. At the time, I thought they were to die for. Then, as I got older, I was exposed to REAL cheesecake. One of my mom's co-workers made delicious cakes, and I'll never forget the Valentine's Day when my mom brought one home for my sister & I!

Since then, I've enjoyed making one when I know people will appreciate them. (My husband enjoys them, but due to lactose intolerance, I'm the one eating most of my cheesecake!) This one takes a bit of work with the 3 layers, but I would definitely make it again. It was so light & refreshing!




LEMON CHEESECAKE (Adapted from Chowhound and Food.com)

Crust:
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (Approximately 2 packages of graham crackers)
6 tablespoons butter; melted
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine crust ingredients thoroughly. Press crust evenly onto bottom and sides of buttered 10 inch springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Cover pan with aluminum foil.

Filling:
3 8 ounce packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Beat cream cheese until soft. Add sugar, and beat until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon juice, rind, vanilla and lemon extract. Pour into pan with crust, and place pan in a water bath. Bake 50-60 minutes.

Topping:
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together sour cream and remaining sugar and vanilla. Gently spread sour cream mixture over top of cake. Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes. Turn oven off and cool cheesecake in oven with door propped open for 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Yellow gel food coloring (optional)

Combine all glaze ingredients and blend until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened (3 minutes). Chill until cool, but not set. Spread on top of cheesecake.

Chill overnight.

ENJOY!