I couldn’t post a Shavuot menu without a great cheesecake recipe. I know lemon cheesecake isn’t a new idea, but this lemon cheesecake with citrus mint topping is just a really great recipe. I thought I would jazz it up with a beautiful topping instead (you know me and presentation).
Although I looove lemon, I decided not to add lemon curd or lemon juice to this recipe. I didn’t want it to be a sour cheesecake, so I simply added some fresh lemon zest. It has a hint of lemony freshness, perfect for the spring and summer months.
This topping is way easier than it looks!
Slice all fruit with peel still on.
Cut each orange slice in half.
The lemon slices don’t need to be cut in half.
The clementine slices can be halved, quartered etc. This will depend on the shape of the area you’re placing it. *I will come back to this later.
I like to shape (or cut) each piece of fruit to match the exact shape of where I’m putting it.
Okay, stay with me here-hopefully I’m making myself clear enough:
- Start by placing 3 mint leaves in the center of the cheesecake, forming a triangle.
2. Place 1 lemon slice on each point of the “triangle”. Then, place a halved orange slice below each lemon, followed by a clementine to the right of each orange slice. Then add mint leaves around the slices.
As you can see in the picture above, the shape you cut the clementine slices will depend on where you place them. You can mix it up. If you look at all the clementines on the cheesecake in the picture, I sliced each one differently.
Serve and Enjoy! Your guests are sure to be amazed by the presentation 😉
- 3-8oz packs of cream cheese, not whipped, at room temperature. (I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 8oz sour cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- For the Crust
- 1½ cups graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the Citrus Topping:
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1 clementine
- About 10 whole, fresh mint leaves
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese well. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then, add sour cream, flour, vanilla and lemon zest, mixing very well after each addition. Set aside.
- For the crust, put the graham crackers in a food processer fitted with a metal blade. Process until fine.
- Pour crumbs into a small bowl and mix in butter, sugar and salt. Press into the bottom of a spring-form pan. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust and bake for 50-55 minutes on a cookie sheet.
- Let cool.
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