sunshine cheesecake

By á-179542

Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• 6 Hy-Vee large eggs, divided
• 1 2/3 c. Hy-Vee sugar, divided
• 6 tbsp Hy-Vee butter, cubed
• 3 c. finely crushed Hy-Vee graham crackers (about 40)
• 1/2 c. Hy-Vee butter, melted
• 4 (8 oz each) pkg Hy-Vee cream cheese, softened
• 2 tsp Hy-Vee vanilla extract

Preparation

Step 1

For lemon curd, grate lemons for 1-1/2 teaspoons zest. Squeeze lemons for 1/2 cup juice; strain juice. In a medium heavy saucepan, whisk together 2 eggs, 2/3 cup sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Add 6 tablespoons cubed butter. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until lemon mixture thickens and bubbles all over. Strain mixture over a sieve, pushing it through with a spatula as needed. Cool.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For crust, in a large bowl, stir together crushed graham crackers and 1/2 cup melted butter until crackers are moistened. Press mixture onto bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake for 5 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, place crust-lined pan on a double layer of 18-by-12-inch heavy-duty foil. Bring edges of foil up and mold around sides of pan to form a watertight seal.
Reduce heat to 325 degrees. For filling, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, beating until well blended. Add remaining 4 eggs, one at a time, beating on low just until combined. Beat in vanilla.
Pour two-thirds of cheesecake mixture (about 4 cups) into crust-lined pan. Carefully spoon 1 cup lemon curd over top. Using a table knife, gently swirl cheesecake mixture and curd. Spoon remaining cheesecake mixture over top. Gently swirl remaining curd into cheesecake mixture.
Place spring form pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of spring form pan. Bake for 1 hour or until cake edges jiggle slightly when spring form pan is gently shaken. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven, with door shut, for 60 minutes.
Carefully remove spring form pan from water bath. Remove foil from pan. Cool cheesecake in spring form pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the crust from sides of pan; cool for 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool cheesecake completely on rack, about 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.