Lemon Swirl Cheesecake (Easy + Delicious!)

A slice of lemon swirl cheesecake topped with whipped cream.

5 from 21 votes

Lemon Swirl Cheesecake (Easy + Delicious!)

This is my favorite Lemon Swirl Cheesecake recipe with a creamy, smooth filling, swirls of tangy homemade lemon curd and a buttery graham cracker crust.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon Cheesecake, Lemon Curd Cheesecake, Lemon Swirl Cheesecake, Marbled Lemon Cheesecake

Servings:

Author: Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

Ingredients

For lemon curd:

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
¼ cup butter cut into small pieces

For crust:

1 ⅓ cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

For filling:

3 8-oz packages cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

To make Lemon Curd:

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together lemon zest, juice, sugar and eggs.
Stir in butter and cook, stirring constantly, until curd thickens, about 5 minutes.
Strain through fine mesh sieve and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until completely cooled.

To make crust:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter.
Press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on wire rack.

To make cheesecake:

Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated.
Beat in sour cream and vanilla to combine smoothly (avoid mixing more than needed).
Pour two-thirds of the cheesecake batter into the crust, and top with half of the lemon curd.
Swirl gently with a knife.
Top with remaining cheesecake batter and lemon curd, and repeat swirling.
Bake in centre of oven for 45-55 minutes, until it reaches 145ºF internal temperature (center may still jiggle a bit, it will firm up).
Cool completely before serving.

Notes

Lemon curd is done at 170–175ºF. It should coat the back of a spoon, be thickened to the consistency of regular (not Greek) yogurt, and hold a line when you drag your finger through. It will thicken more as it cools.
Cheesecake is ready when the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken. An instant thermometer should read 145ºF. Don’t wait until the center is firm in the oven, or it will overbake.
Leave the cheesecake in the springform pan until fully chilled. Unmold after at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to keep the edges neat and intact.

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