Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (2024)

Shelly 71 Comments

★★★★★5 from 16 reviews

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This Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is the dreamiest thing I’ve made in a long time. It’s one of those recipes that make you do a little dance after eating the first bite! It’s the perfect mixture of tart, sweet and creamy – I can’t get enough!

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (1)

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  • Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Recipe
  • How to Make a Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
  • Get the Recipe

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Recipe

    On my quest to lose weight, I find myself craving the most indulgent desserts.

    Isn’t that the way?

    And believe me, I don’t deny myself a bite or 15.

    Maybe that’s why the scale isn’t working for me? It’s a vicious cycle I’ve created and perpetuated.

    But I will say that while cutting back a bit has helped my waistline, it it has also sparked a creativity that I had been lacking recently.

    In other words, the less I eat dessert, the more I think about it.

    Which has pushed me into creating some over the top stuff lately.

    Good for you, not for me.

    I mean, take a look at this Lemon Meringue Cheesecake. It’s heaven times infinity.

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (2)

    Not only do you have a lightly lemon flavored cheesecake..you have a giant pile of the creamiest meringue topping ever to exist in history.

    And it’s all on a graham cracker crust. Winning fo life.

    How to Make a Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

    First make your crust…

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (3)

    Then make your filling. It’s easy, I swear it. This is coming from a true cheesecake reformant.

    Also, if your family doesn’t like lemon stuff, use only a bit of the lemon zest…or if you love lemon you can up the zest. Totally up to you!

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (4)

    When it bakes it will look like this…

    My Mother In Law bakes her cheesecake, turns the oven off and leaves the cheesecake in the warm, closed oven for a few hours after. I tried that technique here and it worked perfectly!

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (5)

    I let mine cool completely and chill in the fridge overnight before making the meringue.

    Another good thing about this recipe is that the cheesecake uses egg yolks, but I saved the whites to use on the topping. No waste!

    Just whisk your white and some sugar together…

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (6)

    Then heat it over a double boiler until it reaches 140°.

    Then pop it into your stand mixer bowl and using the whisk attachment, mix it on high for 10 minutes. The meringue will be super glossy and stiff.

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (7)

    Just spread it all over your cheesecake…

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (8)

    Make little peaks when you spread the meringue…

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (9)

    And then using a kitchen torch or lighter lightly toast the meringue…

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (10)

    Like, how totally gorgeous?

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (11)

    And you must try a slice.

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (12)

    Make this asap!

    Print

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (13)

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 16 reviews

    • Author: Shelly
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
    • Yield: 12 slices 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: American

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    Description

    This Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is the dreamiest thing I’ve made in a long time. It’s one of those recipes that make you do a little dance after eating the first bite! It’s the perfect mixture of tart, sweet and creamy – I can’t get enough!

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Crust

    • 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • 6 Tbsp butter, melted

    Cheesecake

    • 4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
    • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    • 6 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
    • 2 Tbsp flour
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 2 Tbsp lemon zest (2 large lemons)

    Meringue Topping

    • 6 egg whites
    • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 300°

    Crust

    1. Combine all ingredients for crust in a bowl evenly. Press mixture into a 9″ springform pan and up the sides, about one inch.
    2. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool.

    Filling

    1. In bowl fitted with paddle attachment beat cream cheese and sugar together until combined and smooth. Add in egg yolks and beat until mixture is just combined, scraping sides as necessary.
    2. Add in flour, sour cream and lemon zest and mix until smooth.
    3. Pour mixture over prepared crust. Bake for 75 minutes. Then turn off oven and leave cheesecake in the warm oven with the door closed for 4 hours.
    4. Finally, remove it from oven, run a knife along the edges to loosen from pan and chill for 6 hours, or overnight.

    Meringue Topping

    1. Whisk 6 reserved egg whites with sugar. Place over a double boiler and stirring constantly heat mixture until it reaches 140° on candy thermometer. Pour mixture immediately into bowl of stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment and beat for 10 minutes, until glossy and stiff peaks form.
    2. Spread the meringue over chilled cheesecake and with kitchen torch lightly brown the tops of the meringue.

    Notes

    if you would like to amp up the flavor of lemon in this recipe, you can add another tablespoon of lemon zest.

    Store covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    recipe adapted from Amazing Cakes Magazine.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 404
    • Sugar: 51.3 g
    • Sodium: 174 mg
    • Fat: 17.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 54.4 g
    • Protein: 9.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 221.3 mg

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    Find more recipes like this:

    • Cakes
    • Cheesecake
    • Easter
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    If you like cheesecake, here are some more from my archives….

    Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake is a super easy one and SO good!

    Or this S’mores Cheesecake, omg so good!

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (15)

    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake | The Best Lemon Cake Recipe (2024)

    FAQs

    Why is my lemon cheesecake not setting? ›

    If your ingredients are too warm, you'll end up with a soupy mixture that will never set, no matter how long you leave it in the fridge. The second reason your cheesecake won't set can come down to the brand of cream cheese you use.

    Should lemon meringue be refrigerated? ›

    Just like when you under cook it, placing a lemon meringue pie in the refrigerator after baking can cause the meringue topping to “weep." If you do have leftovers that you'd like to save, it's okay to refrigerate! Just know the texture may slightly change.

    Why is my lemon meringue watery? ›

    Our Test Kitchen recommends following the recipe, beating, and baking as written. The watery layer between the meringue and the filling (weeping) is usually caused by undercooking.

    How many calories in the Cheesecake Factory lemon meringue cheesecake? ›

    The Cheesecake Factory Lemon Meringue Cheesecake (1 slice) contains 120g total carbs, 120g net carbs, 45g fat, 0g protein, and 1170 calories.

    What not to do when making cheesecake? ›

    Cold ingredients are a big no-no when it comes to cheesecake. If your ingredients are cold you will have to mix them longer which will whip too much air into your batter. If the cake has too much air, it will rise too much in the oven and then the middle will sink when cooling. Nobody wants a sad, sunken cheesecake.

    How long should you leave a cheesecake to set? ›

    A cheesecake is a make-ahead cake in the sense that you have to make it ahead. After all the careful baking and slow cooling, the cheesecake still needs to chill in the fridge and finish setting up for at least four hours or (ideally) overnight.

    Can you eat lemon meringue pie left out overnight? ›

    Avoid storing the pie outside of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. Once you've served a few slices of the pie, return the remaining pieces to the refrigerator to prevent bacteria growth. Never leave the pie sitting at room temperature for long periods of time.

    Can you leave meringue out overnight? ›

    If you have leftover meringues, you can store them at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If it's a warm or humid day, place your meringues in the fridge for 30 minutes first to make sure they're cool.

    Can I put lemon meringue in the freezer? ›

    Once the meringue is golden, the pie can be returned to the freezer for a few minutes if you are unable to serve it right away. Or, pack the completed pie in an airtight container to freeze for up to 2 weeks. Place the re-frozen pie in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to soften before slicing.

    What is the liquid at the bottom of the lemon meringue pie? ›

    If the meringue is swirled onto a cool filling and baked, steam in the reheating filling just reaches the meringue. As the pie cools, the steam condenses to form the sweet weeping (sometimes a pool) under the meringue.

    How to stop lemon meringue from weeping? ›

    Add cornstarch to the meringue to stabilize it.

    Add about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cornstarch into the meringue as you're whipping it so it will absorb some of the extra moisture. If you're making more than one batch of meringue, add more cornstarch to balance it out.

    How to tell if meringue is done baking? ›

    A meringue is done baking when it releases easily when gently lifted from the baking sheet. If it's close, keep checking every 5 to 10 minutes.

    Can you freeze Costco lemon meringue cheesecake? ›

    yep. sponge cake in the bottom, obviously. I mean, this is one of the best cheesecake I've ever eaten, even frozen. Our cheesecakes freeze very well!

    How much sugar is in lemon cheesecake? ›

    Lemon cheesecake (no-bake)
    NutrientUnit
    saturates23g
    carbs31g
    sugars22g
    fibre1g
    4 more rows

    How many calories are in Aldi lemon cheesecake? ›

    Energy: 268 calories

    Proportion of total calories contributed by protein, carbs and fat.

    How to fix a cheesecake that won't set? ›

    Chill For A Longer Period

    In some cases, your filling just needs more time to chill. No-bake cheesecakes generally need at least 4-6 hours in the refrigerator to set properly. If your filling is still runny after that time, try chilling it for another 2-4 hours.

    Why is my cheesecake runny after baking? ›

    Liquid can also come out of a cheesecake if it is overbaked as the proteins in the cream cheese mixture start to tighten too much and squeeze out the water. The cheesecake should still be quite jiggly when it comes out of the oven, even though it will have risen and formed a crust on the surface.

    Can you put cheesecake in the freezer to set quicker? ›

    Use the Freezer: After bringing the cheesecake to room temperature, you can place it in the freezer to set and chill faster. However, be sure not to leave it in the freezer for more than two hours to avoid freezer burn.

    How do you fix undercooked cheesecake? ›

    Luckily, there are ways to fix it. If your entire cake is undercooked, simply reset your oven correctly. And if your middle cake is undercooked, just cover your pan with a tin foil or baking parchment paper so that the heat will get trapped and cook the middle cake evenly.

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