Lemon Sour Cream Cheesecake

This cheesecake is bursting with lemon flavor!

It’s made with both sour cream and cream cheese.

The added sour cream adds to the lemon flavor, and makes this a light cheesecake!

I love this cheesecake recipe because it fits into a standard 9″ pie plate. No need to own a springform pan!

Get the recipe below, then keep reading for all of your questions answered!

Ingredients for the cheesecake:

• 16 oz cream cheese (two 8 oz packs)
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups sour cream
• 6 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs

Ingredients for the graham cracker crust:

• 1 pack of graham crackers
• 6 TBSP butter

Instructions:

1. Make your graham cracker crust by crumbling your graham crackers and mixing them with melted butter. Shape into a pie plate, then refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Soften your cream cheese by leaving it (wrapped) on your counter for 1 hour before use, or warm it on low heat on the stove. Do not overheat your cream cheese, or it will cook your eggs when added to your batter.
4. Mix all of your cheesecake batter ingredients together until there are no lumps.
5. Pour your cheesecake batter into your graham cracker crust.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
7. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely. Then, refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Do I have to refrigerate before serving?

Yep!

Make this cheesecake the day before you plan to serve it, if you can.

It’s best to serve cheesecake nice and cold.

Cold cheesecake is easier to cut, too!

How can I avoid cracks in my cheesecake?

Cracking is a common issue when making cheesecake.

To avoid cracks, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature so you don’t overmix.

Then, when removing your cheesecake from the oven, first turn off your oven and allow your cheesecake to begin the cooling down process inside the oven with the oven door cracked open.

(Be sure to stay near your oven to guard the open door from anyone who might burn themselves!)

After 10 minutes, remove your cheesecake from the oven and allow it to finish cooling down outside of the oven.

Not over mixing your batter, and allowing the cheesecake to cool slowly can help reduce the chance of it cracking.

And if your cheesecake does crack, it will still taste just as delicious!