Enjoy a slice of raspberry lemon cheesecake and bask in the flavors of summer. Creamy cheesecake flavored with lemon curd, lemon zest, and raspberries topped with a raspberry lemon topping is bursting with flavor!

My study abroad students are here so last week we spent touring the amazing temples of the Angkor archaeological park. Our busy schedule left no time to bake. I’m making up for it this week with this raspberry lemon cheesecake.

I’m a sucker for raspberries. When I was a kid, my neighbors had raspberry bushes. The neighborhood kids used to sneak over and grab the berries fresh off the bush. It drove our poor neighbors crazy but those berries were irresistible. Back home I have raspberries nearly every day in my oatmeal at breakfast.

Fresh berries are incredibly expensive here in Cambodia because they are all imported. A small container of raspberries usually runs about $10 (compared to $3 in the US). A few weeks ago, I bought a big bag of frozen raspberries at a reasonable price so I used frozen berries for this cheesecake.

I also love lemon – especially in the summer. It reminds me of those lazy summer afternoons drinking lemonade with friends.

I normally bake a 10-inch cheesecake so there’s lots to go around. At home, I use a large cast iron skillet for the water bath.

My friends still have my large skillet so I used an 8-inch pan for the cheesecake and a 9-inch cake pan for the water bath. It was a tight squeeze but it worked. The water bath keeps the cheesecake really moist.

There’s no sugar in the list of cheesecake ingredients. That’s not a mistake. I wanted the tart flavor of lemons to come through so the sugar in the cake comes from the lemon curd. The tart topping adds even more zingy flavor to this creamy cheesecake.

And now for a confession. This cheesecake is so amazingly flavorful and creamy that my friends ate it all before I could save a slice to photograph. You’re going to love the summery flavors in this cheesecake!

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients

16 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
⅔ cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup lemon curd
¼ cup lemon zest
1 cup raspberries

Raspberry Lemon Topping

½ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon water
2 cups raspberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Cheesecake

Butter the inside of an 8-inch spring form pan. Wrap the pan in two layers of aluminum foil and set aside. (I cut 2 squares that were about 16 inches to a side. Place the pan in the center and folded the sides of the foil up to cover the sides of the pan).
In a heavy duty mixer cream together the cream cheese and butter.
Blend in the sour cream and then blend in the eggs one at a time.
Mix int the cornstarch, lemon curd and lemon zest. Blend until smooth.
Fold in the raspberries and spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Place the spring form pan wrapped in aluminum foil in a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with water so that the water reaches about 2/3 - 3/4 the way up the sides of the spring form pan.
Bake in a 300°F oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. The top should be slightly brown and the middle should be jiggly but the outside should be firm.
Let cool in the spring form pan. Insert a knife around the edge and then remove the sides of the pan.
Before serving, top with raspberry lemon topping.

Raspberry lemon topping

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat over medium high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Stir constantly while the mixture is heating.
Heat for a few minutes longer until the mixture thickens and then remove from heat. Let cool before topping the cake.
I made the topping right after I put the cake in the oven so it had plenty of time to cool before topping the cake.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 243Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 153mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is provided as a guide only. Please consult a dietician for specific dietary needs.

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Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake