Traditional cheesecake is a classic dessert that people always love. This Key lime cheesecake recipe has a light citrus flavor and is the perfect dessert for when things get hotter! Use fresh Key limes if you can find them. If not, plain limes will work, too. Here’s the recipe:
Key Lime Cheesecake Recipe
Adapted from Epicurious
Yield – 1 Cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the Lime Custard:
- 6 egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lime peel
For the Crust:
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lime peel
Directions:
For the Custard:
Add egg yolks, sugar, lime juice, and lime peel to a medium saucepan set on medium heat and cook until the custard gets thick and boils for at least 30 seconds. This process should take about 8 minutes. Stir the custard throughout the cooking process so that it doesn’t stick to the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and cool it to room temperature.
For the Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap pieces of aluminum foil in three layers around the outside of an 8-inch Springform pan that has sides that are 3 inches high. Butter the inside of the pan. Add the graham crackers, sugar, and salt to a medium bowl and mix until combined. Stir in the butter, making sure that the ingredients moisten. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and1 ½ inches up the sides of the pan. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 5 minutes. The crust should only be lightly set. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely on the counter.
For the Filling:
Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lime juice, and lime peel to a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
Assemble the Cheesecake:
Spoon the custard onto the prepared crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Add the filling on top of that and gently smooth out the top, being careful not to use too much pressure or else the filling will start to mix into the custard.
Place the cheesecake into a large baking pan. Fill the pan with hot water so that it covers 1-inch of the pan. Bake until the cheesecake is almost set completely – it should still look unset in the middle when it is done. This should take about 45 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Loosen the sides with a butter knife and let it cool completely on the countertop. If you’re not going to eat the cheesecake right away, transfer it to the refrigerator. Make cheesecake up to 2 days ahead of time.