A water bath cooks the cheesecake gently, making it extra creamy with a smooth, crack-free top. You can make the lemon curd up to two weeks in advance; just be sure to store it in the refrigerator.
![Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake](https://www.southernliving.com/thmb/xqzHyX5ob7EqTLzRGX72oVO7wRw=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/citrus-2470003_citru243_0-f48fdbf46b9a4358b9edbd363c0aec5e-ef66b19c71e941db8f0d8ae627cad8d2.jpeg)
Jennifer Causey
Ingredients
-
2 ½ cups crushed cream-filled lemon sandwich cookies (such as Lemon Oreo Sandwich Cookies) (about 25 cookies)
-
2 ½ tablespoons salted butter, melted
-
5 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
-
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
-
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-
4 large eggs
-
2 large egg yolks
-
1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 5 Tbsp. fresh juice (about 2 lemons)
-
2 tablespoons heavy cream
-
Yellow food coloring gel paste (such as Spectrum Lemon Yellow Soft Gel Paste Food Coloring)
-
1 cup Lemon Curd
Directions
-
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.