Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Just when I thought I'd seen every variation possible on cheesecake, I came across Elinor Klivans' recipe for Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars.

A talented pastry chef, Elinor uses a square rather than a round pan and cuts squares instead of wedges from this particular Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars dessert. But these delectable cheesecake bars are truly inventive because of the unusual way the filling is prepared. A rich short pastry dough studded with a hint of lemon zest is pressed into a pan and topped with a vanilla-flavored cheesecake batter. Then before baking, a thick, lemon-curd-like mixture is swirled through the batter to produce a lovely rippled pattern.

Paired with fresh berries, these Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars make for an irresistible dessert.

As when making any cheesecake, having the primary ingredients for the filling -- the cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream -- at room temperature will produce better results, and chilling the baked cheesecake thoroughly will make for easier slicing.

This Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars recipe is ideal for entertaining. Since no last-minute work is required, all you need to do at serving time is arrange the bars on a platter, fill a bowl with some seasonal berries, and be ready to share.

Elinor Klivans' Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars

    Prep Time: 25 minutes

    Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes

    Yield: Makes 16 bars

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Ingredients

    Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Crust:

      1 cup all-purpose flour

      1/4 cup sugar

      1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

      1/8 teaspoon salt

      8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces and chilled, plus more for the pan

    Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Filling:

      1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

      2 large egg yolks

      1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

      1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

      1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

      1 1/4 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

      2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

      3 large eggs, at room temperature

      1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

      1 teaspoon pure vanilla

    2 cups fresh raspberries or blueberries and mint sprigs for garnish

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Recipe Instructions

    For the Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars crust:

      Adjust rack to middle and preheat oven to 325 F. Butter a 9-inch square nonstick baking pan.

      In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt. Add butter and pulse until a soft, crumbly dough forms.

      Press dough evenly over the bottom and a scant 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.

      Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and firm.

    For the Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars filling:

      In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water.

      In a medium saucepan, whisk the yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon juice.

      Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook over medium heat, whisking gently, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, about 4 minutes.

      Boil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and glossy.

      Strain the mixture into a heatproof bowl. Stir in lemon zest and let cool.

      In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup sugar until smooth.

      Beat in the flour until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.

      Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until batter is smooth.

      Pour cream cheese batter over the crust and smooth with a spatula.

      Place lemon mixture in dollops on the cheesecake batter and carefully swirl it into the batter using the tip of a knife or a skewer; take care not to cut into the crust.

    Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden around edges and just set.

    Run the tip of a knife around edges to loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan.

    Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

    Cut into 16 bars; garnish each serving with berries and mint.

 

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Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars - Dessert Recipe by Elinor Klivans

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