Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap outside of a lightly greased 9-inch shiny springform pan in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Stir together crushed cookies and melted butter in a bowl. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until ready to use. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Beat cream cheese with a heavy-duty mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar and flour, beating until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream.

Remove 3 cups of batter, and place in a medium bowl. Using a wooden pick, add a small amount of food coloring gel paste to the 3 cups of batter. Stir until batter is pale yellow, adding more gel paste if necessary.

Dollop half of untinted batter into prepared crust. Dollop half of pale yellow tinted batter on top of untinted batter dollops. Swirl together using a small knife, creating a marbled look. Repeat procedure with remaining halves of untinted and pale yellow tinted batters. Place springform pan in a roasting pan. Add boiling water to reach halfway up sides of springform pan.

Bake at 325°F until center is almost set but still slightly wobbly, 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn off oven, and let cheesecake stand in oven, with door partially open, 1 hour.

Remove cheesecake from roasting pan and water bath, and place on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap, using wooden picks to prevent plastic wrap from touching top of cheesecake. Chill 8 to 24 hours.

Gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. Remove sides of pan. Spread top with 1 cup Lemon Curd.