Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake

I love cheesecake and I love lemon. So this one was a hit for not only me but my whole family. Really, it was so good! I got this recipe off of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Posted by Jessica

Ingredients: 

Crust:

-1 1/4 cup (6.25 oz) all purpose flour 

-2 Tbl powered sugar

-1 tsp lemon zest 

-8 tbl cold butter, cut into chunks 

Cheesecake Filling:

-4 packages (8oz each) of full fat cream cheese, softened

-1 1/4 cups (9.25 oz) granulated sugar

-2 Tbl all purpose flour 

- 4 Tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2-4 lemons-zest then first. You’ll need the zest later) 

-2 Tbl heavy cream

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-4 large eggs, beaten 

-8 oz white baking chocolate (melted and cooled to room temperature) see note below

-1Tbl lemon zest

- whipped cream for topping 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is in the middle position (with another oven rack one level lower for a pan of water).
2. FOR THE CRUST, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and lemon zest. Toss in the butter cubes and cut the butter into the dry ingredients with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Press the crust mixture onto the bottom and about an inch up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. I find it easiest to press the mixture around the sides of the pan before spreading the rest evenly over the bottom and pressing lightly (with the bottom of a measuring cup).
3. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Place a pan of hot water on the lowest rack below the rack where the cheesecake will bake and let the water heat up while preparing the cheesecake filling. I use a metal 9X13-inch baking pan filled 3/4 full – it’s easiest to fill the pan with water after the pan is placed on the oven rack to minimize spillage.
5. FOR THE FILLING, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until well-combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cream, and vanilla and mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Add the white chocolate and lemon zest and mix until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
6. Add the eggs and beat on low speed until just combined (over beating after adding the eggs can cause the cheesecake to crack while baking).
7. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust, spreading evenly. Bake the cheesecake (placing the pan on the rack above the pan of water) for 65-75 minutes until the filling is just set (it’s ok if the very center jiggles just slightly). Add more time if needed. I ended up cooking mine for about an hour and a half. 
8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, 8-12 hours (the flavor will get better as it chills as well). Serve the cheesecake slices with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices, if desired.

White chocolate chips generally do not melt well (they clump and seize easily while melting), so I highly recommend white baking chocolate, which incidentally is NOT the same as almond bark or melting wafers. Don’t use those; they have a fake, sugary flavor that may ruin this divine cheesecake.