When life gives you a lemon...make lemon cheesecake

I love love LOVE lemons and everything containing lemons! Um...except for lemon skittles. Springtime always makes me see everything in yellow. I want to wear yellow clothes (though I don't have any), see yellow flowers, but most importantly, eat yellow things.

Can anything be better than mixing lemons with cheesecake? I can't think of anything. I bet you can't either. So here is a low-fat, almost sugar-free lemon cheesecake for those who love sweets as much as I do, but can't afford to eat it in its full-fat, full-sugary goodness. I promise, you can't even tell it's almost healthy. :)





Recipe adapted from Paula Deen's "Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake" recipe! Amazing, huh? Who knew that "low-fat" was in her vocabulary.

Crust:

• Cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups fat-free vanilla wafer cookie crumbs, or any fat-free cookie crumbs of your choice
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

(I actually just used the crust recipe from my pumpkin cheesecake recipe because I didn't have vanilla wafers on hand. Use splenda!)

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages fat-free cream cheese
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 2 cups sugar or sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
• 3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon Curd:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, or any fat-free butter substitute

Directions

Make crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly spray a (9-inch) springform pan with cooking spray. Mix crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and crust is set. Cool on rack.

Make filling: In large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese and sour cream for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar or sugar substitute. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until incorporated. Beat in zest and juice. Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until center is almost set, but still slightly jiggly. (Do not overbake, as it will firm as it cools). Let cool completely.

Make lemon curd: In the top of a double boiler, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, and sugar or sugar substitute over gently simmering water. Whisk until hot and frothy, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in butter and continue whisking for 7 minutes or until thickened and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes.

Run a thin blade around the edge of the springform pan and remove sides. Transfer to a serving plate. Spread lemon curd over top. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries and zest, if desired. Cool cheesecake in refrigerator several hours or overnight before serving.