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Cheesecake isn’t often described with the word light. But this outstandingly creamy, citrusy cheesecake uses lower-fat cream cheese and fat-free Greek yogurt, which lightens up the density without compromising on taste or texture. The bright, tart lemons are an early preview of hot summer days sipping lemonade in the shade. For more delicious cheesecakes like this one, see our post The Ultimate Cheesecake Roundup.
1 package lemon sandwich cookies (about 2 dozen)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth’s Balance spread or butter, melted
4 (8-oz) (225-g) Neufchatel or reduced-fat cream cheese blocks
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Gefen Vanilla
4 eggs
3 (8-oz) (225-g) containers Greek lemon yogurt
lemon peel curl or zest, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Crush cookies coarsely (not finely) in a food processor, or place into ziplock bag and crush with a mallet. Mix half of the crumbs with Earth’s Balance or butter. Press crumb-butter mixture into bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) round springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar; beat well. Add whipping cream, flour, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour half the batter into the prebaked crust and sprinkle remaining cookie crumbs on top, then cover with remaining batter. Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until center is just set. Remove from oven.
Beat lemon yogurts in their container with a fork to smooth out lumps. Spread over top of cheesecake. Put cheesecake back in oven to bake for 10–15 more minutes. Turn off oven, open door partially, and leave cheesecake in for about 15 minutes.
Cool completely on wire rack, and chill for several hours before serving.
To garnish, use a zester peeler to create a lemon curl for the center, or a microplane zester to cover the top with a light coating of fine lemon zest. To cut perfectly neat pieces, slice when partially frozen.
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