Lemon cheesecake bars have a crisp, buttery shortbread crust, smooth and creamy vanilla cheesecake filling, tart lemon curd, and crunchy crumb topping to create the perfect bite!
Ingredients for Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Shortbread crust
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature, cubed butter.
Cheesecake filling
- Cream cheese – Full-fat cream cheese, room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great vanilla flavor.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
Lemon curd
- Egg yolks – Large eggs, but just the yolks! Separate the yolks from the whites and save the egg whites for Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice! Lemons come in all shapes and sizes, so it is difficult to say how many you will need, but for this recipe, I used the juice of two lemons.
- Lemon zest – Use a bit of fresh lemon zest to punch up the lemon flavor! Be sure to zest your lemons before you juice! Use a lemon zester or a fine hand grater.
- Unsalted butter – Use cold, unsalted butter. Cut the butter into small cubes. The butter adds a silky texture to the lemon curd.
Crumb topping
- Unsalted butter – Melted. You can also use salted butter if desired.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
Tools & Supplies for Making Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Blind Baking the Crust
There are four components to this dessert: shortbread crust, cheesecake filling, lemon curd, and crumb topping.
To create a crisp shortbread crust, we are going to be blind baking the crust. This just means that the crust is baked first before any of the filling is added. This ensures that the crust stays crisp and does not get soggy from the cheesecake filling.
The shortbread crust dough will be very crumbly. Pour the crumbs into the prepared baking pan and use a flat-bottomed measuring cup to firmly press the crumbs into a flat and even crust. Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F, remove from the oven, and allow the crust to cool slightly before adding the cheesecake batter.
To be efficient with your time, I recommend making the cheesecake filling and crumb topping while the shortbread crust is blind baking. The lemon curd filling can be made the day before as it needs to be chilled for at least two hours.
Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe Tips
Preparing the baking pan
To easily remove the lemon cheesecake bars from the pan, I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper. Cut two pieces of paper to the width of the pan. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and place the parchment paper in a cross shape so that it goes up the sides of the pan. Once the bars are baked and cooled, simply pull up on the parchment paper to remove them from the pan!
Lemon curd
I recommend making the lemon curd the day before you make the lemon cheesecake bars. The lemon curd needs to chill for at least 2 hours to thicken. For the lemon curd, use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for the best flavor!
Baking at different temperature
The shortbread crust and lemon cheesecake filling are baked at two different temperatures. This is not a mistake! The shortbread crust bakes at 350 degrees and after the lemon cheesecake filling is added, it is baked at 325 degrees. The lower temperature prevents the filling from browning on the sides and the top.
Storing and serving
The lemon cheesecake bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. Serve chilled.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make lemon cheesecake bars! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
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Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish
- Electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature and cubed
- ¼ tsp salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg room temperature
Lemon Curd Filling
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
Crumb Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare an 8×8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add in cubed unsalted butter. Mix with an electric hand mixer until the butter is well dispersed and the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Pour the shortbread crumbles into the prepared 8×8 baking pan and press into the bottom of the pan to create the crust.
- Bake the crust for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and granulated sugar. Cream together with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in vanilla extract and egg and continue to mix until combined and smooth.
Lemon Curd Filling (Make ahead of time)
- Add egg yolks, granulated sugar, and lemon juice to a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined. Place over low heat on the stovetop. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally for approximately 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Once the mixture thickens, add in lemon zest and stir until combined. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cubed unsalted butter, one piece at a time, whisking in between each addition until combined and smooth.
- Pour the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof container to remove any lumps. Cool the lemon curd to room temperature and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
Crumb Topping
- Combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and melted unsalted butter in a small bowl. Mix to make a crumbly streusel topping.
Assembling the Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Reduce the heat of the oven to 325° F.
- Spread the cheesecake filling onto the cooled shortbread crust. Use an offset spatula to create an even layer.
- Drizzle the lemon curd filling over the cheesecake filling and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle on the crumb topping in an even layer.
- Bake the lemon cheesecake bars for 30-35 minutes. The center of the bars will still be a bit jiggly.
- Cool the bars to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. To serve, lift the lemon cheesecake bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and cut into squares.
Notes
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Comments & Reviews
My crumble topping melted. I followed every instruction exactly 🙁
Hi there, Cheryl. Sorry to hear that happened. The crumble will melt into the lemon curd a bit, but it shouldn’t completely. Thank you so much for the feedback. 🙂