CHEESECAKE WITH LEMON TOPPING RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until set. Place pan on a wire rack (leave oven on)., For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla just until blended. Pour into crust. Return pan to baking sheet., Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight., For glaze, in a small heavy saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and peel until blended. Add butter; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a metal spoon. Add food coloring if desired. Transfer to a small bowl; cool for 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled., Spread glaze over cheesecake; garnish with raspberries if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• For Crust:.
• Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Finely grind graham crackers( if using these instead of the crumbs) in food processor. Add nuts and process until coarsely chopped.
• Add butter and lemon peel; blend just until crumbs are moist.
• Press crumbs firmly onto bottom ONLY of a 9 inch diameter springform pan.
• Bake until crust is set, about 10 minutes.
• Cool crust and maintain oven temperature.
• For filling:.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemonade concentrate and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined.
• Pour filling into crust and bake until the center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 50 minutes.
• Transfer cake to rack and cool 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile for topping: Whisk 1 cup sour cream in small bowl until smooth. Whisk lemon curd in small bowl until smooth.
• Run a sharp knife around sides of cake.
• Starting at outside edge of cake, spoon small alternating dollops of sour cream and lemon curd side by side in concentric circles atop warm cake, covering cake completely.
• Gently shake pan to smooth out toppings.
• Using tip of knife, gently swirl toppings, forming a marbled design.
• Chill cake uncovered overnight.
• Beat whipping cream with 2 T. confectioner's sugar( I like to add about 1/2 t. unflavored gelatin to the whipping cream to keep it from separating)until stiff peaks form.
• Pipe cream in a decorative pattern around the edge of cake( I just use a spoon to arrange dollops of whipped cream around the edge) and garnish with lemon wedges and mint leaves.
• *NOTE: The last time I made this I omited the sour cream topping and just smoothed the lemon curd over the entire cake top, using about 2 cups of lemon curd. Then I decorated the edge of the cake with the whipped cream and lemon slices/mint leaves.).