Easy Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulée "Donuts"

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Brush each roll with melted butter and place in the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. 

Combine cheesecake filling, lemon curd, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest in a bowl and stir well. 

Add mixture to a piping bag or large resealable plastic bag. Make a small cut in one corner of the bag.

Use a paring knife to make a small cut into the side of each roll, creating an opening large enough to pipe the filling into without going all the way through. Fill each roll with about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling and return to the baking dish.

Add sugar and water to a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, without stirring, until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes; remove from heat.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and set a rack over the sheet. Working very carefully, dip the top of each roll into sugar mixture and place it right side up on the rack.

Grate remaining lemon zest over rolls. Let stand until completely cooled and lightly hardened on top, 10 to 15 minutes. If sugar mixture becomes too thick before all rolls are coated, return the pot to low heat and swirl it lightly until it melts again.