Here’s a detailed, reliable recipe for lemon cheesecake bars with a buttery base, creamy lemon filling, and a smooth tangy finish.
🍋 Lemon Cheesecake Bars (Baked)
🧈 Ingredients
1. Crust
- 200 g graham crackers (or digestive biscuits), crushed finely
- 90 g melted butter
- 2 tbsp sugar (optional, for sweetness)
- Pinch of salt
2. Cheesecake filling
- 450 g cream cheese (room temperature)
- 150 g sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 120 ml sour cream (or thick yogurt)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (helps stabilize)
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 80 ml fresh lemon juice (about 2–3 lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
3. Optional topping
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Lemon zest or thin lemon slices
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the pan
Line an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides for easy lifting later.
2. Make the crust
- Mix crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, and salt.
- Press firmly into the bottom of the pan using a flat glass or spoon.
- Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 8–10 minutes.
- Let it cool slightly while preparing the filling.
3. Make the cheesecake filling
- Beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy (no lumps).
- Add sugar and mix until well combined.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing gently (don’t overbeat).
- Stir in sour cream, flour, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
- Mix just until smooth and silky.
Tip: Overmixing adds air → cracks later.
4. Bake
- Pour filling over cooled crust.
- Tap the pan lightly to release air bubbles.
- Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 35–45 minutes.
It’s done when:
- Edges are set
- Center slightly jiggles (like soft jelly)
5. Cool properly (important)
- Turn off oven, crack door open, and let it sit 30–45 minutes.
- Then cool fully at room temperature.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
6. Slice & serve
- Lift using parchment paper.
- Cut into neat squares using a hot knife (wipe between cuts for clean edges).
- Dust with powdered sugar or top with lemon zest.
🍰 Texture & Flavor Tips
- More lemon juice = stronger tang but softer set.
- For extra richness, add 1–2 tbsp melted butter into filling.
- For ultra-smooth texture, strain lemon juice to remove pulp.
❄️ Storage
- Fridge: 4–5 days in airtight container
- Freezer: up to 2 months (wrap individually)
If you want, I can also give you:
- No-bake lemon cheesecake bars
- Eggless version
- Or a “bakery-style ultra-creamy” version with water bath technique