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With a make-ahead, no-bake filling, a marmalade-glazed, fresh fruit topping and a delicious shortbread crust, this Lemon Cheesecake universally loved!
This wonderful confection is one of our favorite summer desserts but, with the availability of delicious fruit all year long, I'm thrilled that this delicious Lemon Cheesecake doesn't have to be reserved for summer only!
If I had a little tab in my recipe box for Perfect Summer Desserts, this lemon cheesecake would be in the front row.
With a super-light, no-bake, cheesecake filling, a crisp, buttery shortbread crust and a gorgeous topping of fresh berries glazed with a bit of sweet orange marmalade, it's the perfect ending for a meal on the porch, patio or deck.
A make-ahead dessert
I love that the crust on this can be baked early in the day. Once it's cooled, add the luscious lemon filling and pop it in the fridge.
A few hours before dinner, add the fresh fruit topping, and you don't have to think about it again till it's time for dessert. Scatter the tart with a few mint leaves, for garnish and serve this lovely lemon cheesecake on your prettiest platter or cake stand. Expect lots of oohs, aahs and mmm mmm mmms!
Café Tips for making this Lemon Cheesecake with Glazed Berries
- Feel free to substitute other types of berries and/or fruit. Raspberries, strawberries, nectarines, kiwi and mangoes all work well.
- If you like to really work ahead, the crust for this dessert could be made a week or two in advance and frozen. Just pull it out and thaw before adding the filling.
- Regular foil works better than heavy-duty for lining the tart before baking. It's thinner and more flexible.
- In lieu of marmalade, currant or apple jelly could also be used. Just skip the straining step in the recipe.
- Add the fresh mint leaves right before serving. Most fresh herbs tend to wilt if they sit too long.
Love lemon desserts? This French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake is one of the top 10 most popular recipes on the blog with lots of great reviews!
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Lemon Cheesecake with Glazed Berries and Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
Ingredients for the shortbread crust:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 ounces butter, (melted and allowed to cool for 5 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for the filling:
- 2 8- ounce packages cream cheese, I use the low-fat variety; not the fat-free cream cheese
- 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
Ingredients for the topping:
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 cups blackberries
- fresh mint leaves for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- In a medium-size bowl, combine powdered sugar, egg yolk and butter. Whisk until well combined. Add vanilla and flour and stir until all flour is incorporated.
- Press into the sides and bottom of a 9 or 10-inch tart pan. I like to start on the sides and form a nice even layer, then work the rest of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Prick lightly with a fork and freeze for at least one hour.
- Remove from freezer and press a sheet of foil tightly into the bottom and against the sides of the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil and prick the bottom of the crust lightly with a fork again. Return to oven and bake another 13-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Place lemon juice in a small microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top and stir. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Mixture will be thick and gelatinous. Place in microwave and cook on high power for 15 seconds. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and lemon zest. Beat for 2 minutes until very fluffy. Slowly add condensed milk, stopping several times to scrape the sides of the bowl. Continue beating for another minute.
- Slowly add gelatin mixture while continuing to beat. Beat for 2 more minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Pour into cooled shortbread crust and spread to an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Place marmalade in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high power for 1 minute. Pour through a fine mesh strive, pushing on solids with the back of a spoon. Discard solids.
- Combine strained marmalade, blueberries and blackberries in a medium size bowl and stir to combine. Spoon fruit mixture over lemon layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired.
Nutrition
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Can this be made with Cup4Cup Gluten free flour?
Hi Terri, I haven't tried this recipe with GF flour but I can't see why it wouldn't work. All of our shortbread cookie recipes work well with GF flour and the crust is basically a shortbread crust.
Made this last night and it was delicious. My mother said it is the best she has ever had. She is 81. She has had an awful lot of cheesecake in her life. Can't think of a better endorsement.
I love this Julie 💕 Thanks so much for sharing your results!
Hey chris,
Planning to make this into mini cheesecakes.
One of question though - if I make this in 12 cavity mini cheesecake pan with bottoms which can be pushed out ,
How should I make the crust? Should it be just the bottom or should come all the way on the sides ?
Will the cheesecake hold up with just the crust being on the bottom
Please advise and thank you
PFRANK
Hi Pearse, I haven't done this but I think it should work just fine. I would probably just put the crust on the bottom and grease the sides well. The cheesecake should hold up just fine.
Surely, surely you must have meant to specify sweetened condensed milk and not simply canned condensed milk?? Was this an error? I used simply condensed milk and the filling had no flavor at all.
Also, the baking time on the crust seemed too long to me. After removing the aluminum foil after the 1st 15 minutes, I thought I would take a few minutes off the additional 13-15 minutes, as the edges were already browning. I checked it after 11 minutes, and the crust was ruined.
A very disappointing waste of time and ingredients.
I gasped when I saw this just as I did the first time around. Hopefully, my neighbors will help me enjoy this beauty. This is one of the prettiest food photographs I've ever seen!
A wonderful repeat, Chris! I think lemon desserts are so refreshing in the summertime. Topped with seasonal berries you can't get any better than this, in my opinion.
That overhead shot Chirs! Just gorgeous! I bet this cheesecake disappears quickly! Love the lemon flavor and that shortbread crust!
I love this recipe, Chris, and the photos are simply stunning. I'm enjoying the blueberries now at the local farm and they're heavenly. I think I'm going to have to move some place where the berry season is longer. I'm always devastated when it ends, lol.
Gorgeous! Sharing 🙂
Such a great blog..such great recipes..such great pics..I have no more expletives! But Thank YOU!
Thank YOU, Monique, such a kind, thoughtful comment 🙂
Your cheesecake looks like a jewel, truly bedazzled! Lemon yogurt Cake sounds healthy, and that's good enough for me.
Thanks Ginny, that's a beautiful way to describe it!
Heavenly, indeed. This cheesecake is so beautiful and I love the berries with the lemon.
Thanks so much Debra, berries and lemon are definitely a match made in heaven 🙂
Chris I don't know how I missed this one but I'm guessing we were vacationing when you posted this originally. I love the sound and looks of this this and may just have to whip this up for the holiday. Great recipe.
I hope your computer is on the mend very soon!
Hi there! I tried your recipe for the tart crust and it was really delicious! It was crisp and buttery and just yummy! The only problem I had though was that it was a little thin. I actually used a 9" tart pan but it was a very thin crust. Is the tart crust as pictured just one batch? It looks much thicker than mine turned out to be. Thanks!
Hi Fran,
It is just one batch, I do like to make it a little thicker on the sides than on the bottom.
What a perfect summery cheesecake, lemon with berries is also so irresistible!
I just made this and it turned out great!! When I have fresh blueberries I think they are best as is! No cooking, baking, boiling. I hate killing the fresh and tartness of it! This recipe does just that! Preserving all of the berry goodness.
So glad you enjoyed it Michelle!
Nothing says summer more than a beautiful berry tart. I've been looking for a new crust recipe and can't wait to try this one, Chris. Pinterest has replaced my recipe box too.
What a beautiful cheesecake! The glazed berries on top look so beautiful - perfect paring with the lemon cream cheese filling!
I need to make this ahead. Can it be frozen? What would your thawing directions be?
Hi Robin, you can store this cheesecake in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen. I would let it thaw at room temperature for several hours.
Stunning dessert and beautiful photography
I love the combo of lemon and blueberries! This looks wonderful. Great pictures, BTW. Your pictures are always excellent, but these are exceptional.
Nothing says summer better than a berry tart! Absolutely gorgeous! I can’t wait till my blackberries are ready to pick…I will be making this!
Chris: What an elegant and summery dessert! I love the fact this cheesecake does need to be baked (besides its shortbread crust, of course)!.
I could never muster enough courage to cut into a perfectly delicious tart. My stomach would totally disagree though 😉
Hi Chris, this is absolutely gorgeous, when we go berry picking this year this is what I am making, hands down!!
This tart looks like it is filled with jewels. Just too pretty for words, kudos to you and Scott.
This is so beautiful Chris! I will make it but I don't think I'll have the guts to cut through it. I think I'll make it just to brag about it, I love bragging about good looking food. You are so creative, God bless you 🙂
Another gorgeous berry dessert! I love the lemon berry combination and your crust is the most beautiful one I've ever seen!
That crust...those berries...your photos....BEAUTIFUL!
Chris, everything you make looks so fresh! This is definitely summer on a platter. I'm sure it tastes just as good as it looks! Just gorgeous!
Oh my goodness. Chris, you are the queen of elegant desserts and Scott is the photography king. What a pair you 2 are. The Lord is good. 🙂
Hello! I've discovered you through a friend of mine who has a spanish blog. I think your blog is gorgeous and also your pictures and recipes. But I have a question. Will it be very difficult for you to put quantities also in grams and temperatures in degrees? If is not possible I will try to find the way. Thank you very much. (Excuse me if my english is not good enough). A really lovely tart, spectacular.
Thank you Eli, I really appreciate your kind words. I'm looking into how I can make this work. Thanks for this challenge! 🙂
I absolutely can't believe you were willing to cut into that masterpiece of a tart! This is beautiful, Chris! Ooohs and aaaahs is an understatement! The lighting on the berries in your photos is gorgeous too! What a wonderful recipe.
Bill has been dropping hints about blueberry pie lately, but since he loves lemon, this may appease his blueberry AND lemon cravings. What a spectacular dessert!
Mouth wateringly gorgeous! Great pics too:@)
I was in the kitchen and felt this calling out to me ... don't know what else would have brought me back to my office. It looks amazing, Chris. It's definitely perfect for summer, but you already know I'd be willing to eat it year round!
It is beautiful! It looks bejeweled, like it is for royalty.
This is TO DIE FOR! OMG! Shortbread and cheesecake?! WHAT?!
What a stunning tart. It looks almost too pretty to eat... almost!
This looks stunning, Chris. The glaze makes those berries look so shiny and pretty.
Awesome!
Looks too dangerous to make without company coming!
I can rationalize it as protein, fruit and dairy for breakfast, teatime treat and dessert!
That would be 3 servings in one day 😉
btw... are there 2 sticks of melted butter in the crust or is that a typo?
crust ingredient #3 & #6?
Absolutely stunning, Chris! This sounds delicious and it so gorgeous to boot! Awesome photos Scott!
YUM..and gorgeous..
Now where are the kids?:)
All this time I thought I was following you on pinterest, but I was not. 🙁 Now I am. This tart is gorgeous. I would have to make this when company is coming or I would eat it all by myself.
M>
That's just beautiful. I can't wait for berry season because I must have this! 🙂