Meyer Lemon Creme Brûlée Cheesecake

What are you doing this Valentine’s Day? I think Mr. Spatula and I are going to stay in and cook up something tasty. It’s a little different from our usual tradition which consists of going out to a good restaurant and eating delicious food while people-watching other couples. I’d like to think that while many restaurants are no-gos for many of us, that we are all enjoying a delicious meal with our loved ones. Because breaking bread together is always one of the best ways to share love. 

This cheesecake bar really is a marriage of a lemon bar with the hint of lemon and the shortbread crust and a creme brûlée cheesecake. The sugar torched topping is not an option. It really gives it the perfect crisp shell for a dessert that is fitting for Valentine’s day. I used Meyer lemons because they’re in season and they’re less intense than lemons. But if you can’t get your hands on Meyer lemons, please feel free to use regular lemons. Just expect a more lemon-y punch. 🙂

Meyer Lemon Creme Brûlée Cheesecake
Makes about 12 servings, pending on how you large you make your squares

Ingredients:

For the crust:
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
½ c. (100 g.)  sugar
1 tbsp. Meyer lemon zest (be careful to not grate the pith of the lemon – the white part)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. (120 g.) all purpose-flour
¼ tsp. kosher salt

For the filling:
8 oz. (1 box) cream cheese, softened
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, large, room temp.
1 tbsp. Meyer lemon zest (be careful to not grate the pith of the lemon – the white part)
⅓ c. Meyer lemon juice
a pinch of kosher salt

For the burnt sugar crust:
Granulated sugar, as needed (if you have caster sugar, this is the time to use it)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. (This will make it much easier to remove the cheesecake.)
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla on medium speed until well combined.
3. Switch the mixer speed to low and in the flour and salt, mixing until just combined. 
4. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan, trying to get it as even of a layer as possible. 
5. Refrigerate the baking pan with the dough while you prepare the cheesecake layer.
6. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in another bowl using a handheld mixer), mix the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides. 
7. Add the sweetened condensed milk, mix on medium speed and scrape down the sides again.
8. Add the egg, lemon zest and juice and mix on medium-low speed, scrape down the sides and mix again until homogenous. 
9. Remove the pan from the fridge, pour in the cheesecake filling and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the filling does not jiggle when you lightly shimmy the pan. 
10. Remove cheesecake from the oven, and let cool completely.
11. Refrigerate cheesecake until firm. 
12. Cut the cheesecake into the number of slices that you want. 
13. Sprinkle sugar over the cheesecake evenly, and use your kitchen torch to heat the tops of the cheesecake until amber – a spotted dark brown. (If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can apparently do this under a broiler. But I’ve never tried and would advise that you keep a close eye on the caramelizing sugar.) 

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Recipe adapted from Lauren’s Latest