Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Lemon Curd - Easy Recipe

I made these mini lemon cheesecakes with lemon curd topping for Mother's Day one year, and my mom still talks about them. The dreamy tangy lemon curd on top of the creamy slightly lemon-flavored cheesecake layer just melts in your mouth. It is the perfect dessert for Father's Day, Mother's Day, Easter, graduation parties, Baby Showers, basically any spring or summer occasion!

Baked individually in these perfect baking cups, these little beauties are such an elegant dessert that you can be sure everyone will love. Mini individual desserts are such a great mess-free option for get-togethers. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means we may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See full disclosure here.

Ingredients for Lemon Cheesecake:

• baking cups
• cream cheese (room temperature) 
• sour cream 
• eggs
• lemon juice
• vanilla extract 
• graham crackers
• butter

How to Make this Lemon Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees F. 
2. Use a cookie sheet or some flat baking tray to arrange 12 baking cups into.
3. In the food processor (or the old-fashioned way, in a Ziplock bag with a rolling pin) process the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Melt the butter, and mix together with the graham cracker crumbs along with 2 tbs of sugar.  
4. Press 1 ½ tbs of the graham mixture into each cup. 
5. Bake for 8 minutes then take out of oven and let them cool while you prepare batter. 
6. In your stand mixer using the paddle attachment,  beat the cream cheese until it's smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and up the bottom of the bowl, loosening all the cream cheese. Add in sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, beat until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add in the eggs slowly and only mix until they are well incorporated. Don't let too much air in by over-mixing. 
7. Place the tray of cups onto the middle oven rack of your preheated oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes. They will still appear jiggly at 35 minutes, if they seem too runny at this point leave them for 5 or 10 more minutes but no longer. Turn the oven off, and leave them under to cool before moving them. They will fall back in the center if they are moved too suddenly. Crack the oven door open after about 20 minutes. Once cool and somewhat set, transfer to counter for continued setting and cooling, and then to fridge for overnight chill. You want them to cool of very slowly, which prevents dips and cracking. 
8. Next, you want to peel off the outer layer of the cup. This works best when they are fully set and cooled overnight. Tear down at the seam and gently peel it away and off of the bottom layer. I leave the bottom paper under the cheesecake but you can remove that too.

Ingredients for Homemade Lemon Curd:

• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• sugar
• salt
• eggs
• butter

How to Make Lemon Curd:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Cook until it is smooth and all the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together the eggs and the egg yolks. 
3. Pour the eggs slowly into the cooked mixture, while mixing continually to avoid curdling the eggs. Keep whisking it all together for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened. Do not walk away because as soon as you do, it will burn. Ask me how I know. 
4. Turn the heat off and mix in the butter and stir until it has melted. 
5. If you got some solid pieces of egg, just strain it. 
6. Cover and refrigerate until it is cool, which will be 3-4 hours. It will thicken some more as it cools. 

Whipped Cream Topping:

Can I tell you a secret? Sometimes I use a store-bought tub of cool-whip to pipe my fancy swirls on cheesecakes. The homemade stuff has a slight tint, and doesn't hold up as well. BUT, I do make it especially when I'm just making something for my family and it doesn't have to look as pretty. The home-made whipped topping tastes SO much better, and is better for you. 

How to make Homemade Whipped Topping:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat a cup of cold heavy cream on medium speed, gradually increasing the speed until stiff peaks form. Add ¾ cup powdered sugar. Add a teaspoon of vanilla for flavor if you wish, but not necessary. Don't over-whip. Better to under-whip then over-whip, stop whipping when it begins to hold its' shape. 

Time to Assemble:

You will need:  

• 1M piping tip
• piping bag
• pieces of lemon cut into quarter slices

1. Scoop a heaping spoon of lemon curd onto each cheesecake, helping it spread out almost to the edge. 
2. Fill the piping bag with whipped cream, and pipe swirls onto the lemon curd. 
3. Stick a piece of lemon into the whipped cream on top of each cheesecake, and a mint leaf if you wish.
4. You can also sprinkle some lemon zest onto the whipped topping to be extra, it looks really pretty. 

FAQ

Other recipes you’ll enjoy: 

• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Chocolate Banana Bread

pin for later

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes with Lemon Curd - Easy Recipe

by Sylvia Hofer

Baked individually in these perfect baking cups, these little beauties are such an elegant dessert that you can be sure everyone will love. Mini individual desserts are such a great mess-free option for get-togethers. 

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Chill time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 14 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 601 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  1M piping tip
• ▢
  piping bag

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ baking cups from amazon
• ▢ 2 cups graham crackers
• ▢ 5 tbls butter
• ▢ 32 oz cream cheese room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Curd

• ▢ ¾ cup lemon juice
• ▢ ¾ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 eggs + 4 egg yolks
• ▢ 4 tbls butter

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 315 degrees F.
• Use a cookie sheet or some flat baking tray to arrange 12 baking cups into.
• In the food processor (or the old fashioned way, in a Ziplock bag with a rolling pin) process the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Melt the butter, and mix together with the graham cracker crumbs along with 2 tbls of sugar.
• Press 1 ½ tbls of the graham mixture into each cup.
• Bake for 8 minutes then take out of oven and let them cool while you prepare batter.
• In your stand mixer using the paddle attachment,  beat the cream cheese until it's smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and up the bottom of the bowl, loosening all the cream cheese. Add in sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, beat until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add in the eggs slowly and only mix until they are well incorporated. Don't let too much air in by over-mixing.
• Place the tray of cups onto the middle oven rack of your preheated oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes. They will still appear jiggly at 35 minutes, if they seem too runny at this point leave them for 5 or 10 more minutes but no longer. Turn the oven off, and leave them under to cool before moving them. They will fall back in the center if they are moved too suddenly. Crack the oven door open after about 20 minutes. Once cool and somewhat set, transfer to counter for continued setting and cooling, and then to fridge for overnight chill. You want them to cool of very slowly, which prevents dips and cracking.
• Next you want to peel off the outer layer of the cup. This works best when they are fully set and cooled overnight. Tear down at the seam and gently peel it away and off of the bottom layer. I leave the bottom paper under the cheesecake but you can remove that too.

How to Make Lemon Curd:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together lemon juice, sugar and salt. Cook until its smooth and all the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the eggs and the egg yolks.
• Pour the eggs slowly into the cooked mixture, while mixing continually to avoid curdling the eggs. Keep whisking it all together for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened. Do not walk away because as soon as you do, it will burn. Ask me how I know.
• Turn the heat off and mix in the butter and stir until it has melted.
• If you got some solid pieces of egg, just strain it.
• Cover and refrigerate until it is cool, which will be 3-4 hours. It will thicken some more as it cools.

To Assemble:

• You will need:
• 1M piping tip
• piping bag
• pieces of lemon cut into quarter slices
• Scoop a heaping spoon of lemon curd onto each cheesecake, helping it spread out almost to the edge.
• Fill the piping bag with whipped cream, and pipe swirls onto the lemon curd.
• Stick a piece of lemon into the whipped cream on top of each cheesecake, and a mint leaf if you wish.
• You can also sprinkle some lemon zest onto the whipped topping to be extra, it looks really pretty.

Notes

Whipped Cream Topping:

Sometimes I use a store-bought tub of cool-whip to pipe my fancy swirls on cheesecakes. The homemade stuff has a slight tint, and doesn't hold up as well. BUT, I do make it especially when I'm just making something for my family and it doesn't have to look as pretty. The home-made whipped topping tastes SO much better though, and is better for you. 

Here's how to make it:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat a cup of cold heavy cream on medium speed, gradually increasing the speed until stiff peaks form. Add ¾ cup powdered sugar. Add a teaspoon of vanilla for flavor if you wish, but not necessary. Don't over-whip. Better to under-whip then over-whip, stop whipping when it begins to hold its' shape. 

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 8gFat: 41gSodium: 480mgFiber: 1gSugar: 42g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!