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.
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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:
- 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 tbs of sugar.
- Press 1 1/2 tbs 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.
Ingredients for Homemade Lemon Curd:
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- sugar
- salt
- eggs
- butter
How to Make Lemon Curd:
- 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.
- 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.
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 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Add a tsp 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
- 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.
FAQ
Can I make this recipe in a 9 inch spring form pan?
Yes, but I would recommend doing a water bath, and the also adjust the bake time. Bake the graham crust, then add your cream cheese filling, and bake at 315 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes. Turn oven off, let it cool, and then transfer to fridge overnight.
Can you use cupcake wrappers instead of the baking cups?
Yes, I just think the smooth paper is easier to peel away than the crinkle cups, plus it looks so much nicer.
Can you use a Store-Bought Can of Lemon Curd?
Yes you can! Just make sure it’s lemon curd, not lemon pie filling. This and a tub of cool whip makes for an easy mini lemon cheesecakes recipe!
Can You Make This in Advance?
Yes, this is a perfect choice for a make-ahead dessert, because you have to let it set overnight in the fridge. I would wait to assemble it the day of serving them though, so your whipped topping and lemon slices look fresh.
How to Store These Mini Lemon Cheesecakes:
Store these in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5-6 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
Mini Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd
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.
Ingredients
- baking cups from amazon
- 2 cups graham crackers
- 5 tbls butter
- 32 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Curd
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp 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 1/2 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 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Add a tsp 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.
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