Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (Limoncello Cheesecake)
Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (Limoncello Cheesecake) – A fabulous silky cheesecake recipe with a boozy lemon essence and crisp salty-sweet Biscoff cookie crust. It’s perfect for serving with fresh berries or a homemade berry sauce.
Why We Love Limoncello Cheesecake
If you are a cheesecake lover, a lemon lover, a limoncello lover, and/or a Biscoff cookie lover, today’s Limoncello Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust recipe is for you!
I am particularly fond of this Lemon Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust because it offers a mild lemon liqueur flavor that is perfect for serving with fresh seasonal berries or berry sauces. Using part limoncello and part freshly squeezed lemon juice (instead of lemon juice alone) offers just the right citrus note without overpowering the natural tang of the limoncello cheesecake.
As for texture? Heavenly forkfuls of dense creamy fluff accompanied by a crumbled crust made of sweet Biscoff cookies. If you love graham cracker crust, you are going to go nuts over the sweet, crunchy Biscoff Crust.
Our Limoncello Cheesecake also offers an endearing layer of sour cream baked over the top blended with a touch of limoncello. This layer does several things… It increases the intensity of the limoncello flavor. It creates a textural contrast and visual appeal. And best of all, if your cheesecake top happens to crack in the oven, which sometimes they do, it covers all flaws for a perfect homemade cheesecake.
Ingredients for Lemon Cheesecake
For The Crust:
- Biscoff Cookies – The main ingredient to the crust. These cookies are magical!
- Sugar – Sugar makes the crust a little sweeter and crisp.
- Salt – To offset the sweetness, add just a pinch of salt.
- Melted Butter – The butter holds the crust together.
For The Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese – It can’t be cheesecake without cream cheese!
- Eggs – A traditional cheesecake additive that helps with thickening.
- Sugar – To offer a tangy-sweet flavor.
- Lemon Zest – For that strong citrus flavoring.
- Lemon Juice – Some sour to offset the sweet from the sugar and Limoncello.
- Limoncello Liqueur – This is where it gets boozy, friends.
- Vanilla Extract – Some vanilla flavoring to add depth.
- Salt – Salt to bring out and balance flavors.
For The Sour Cream Topper:
- Sour cream – To create a creamy, tangy flavor.
- Sugar – I know, more sugar.
- Limoncello Liqueur – To flavor the sour cream with a little bit of liqueur.
How to Make Limoncello Cheesecake
Step 1 – Prep the Oven
Preheat the oven and arrange one rack in the center and another at the bottom. Place a large, rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips. Line the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform pan with parchment paper, then securely clamp the ring around the base.
Step 2 – Make the Crust
Combine the Biscoff cookies, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the cookies are finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse again until fully mixed. Transfer the crust mixture to the prepared pan, pressing it evenly over the bottom and about two-thirds up the sides. Bake as directed.
Step 3 – Make the Filling
In the meantime, place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth. Pour the filling into the crust and bake as directed.
Step 4- Make the Sour Cream Topping
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and limoncello until smooth. Once the cheesecake has baked and the center is mostly set, spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top. Return the cheesecake to the oven to finish baking.
Step 5 – Cool the Cheesecake
Let the cheesecake cool on the counter for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours to chill and set. Once chilled, remove the ring from the springform pan and transfer the cheesecake to a cake plate. Slice and serve cold.
You can make Limoncello Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust up to a week before serving. Then top it with fresh seasonal berries and dive into the silk folds of limoncello bliss! Enjoy!
Get the Complete (Printable) Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (Limoncello Cheesecake!) Below
Frequently Asked Questions
This cheesecake can last up to 5 days if you store it in an airtight container in the fridge. If you are just wrapping the top up with foil or plastic wrap, then this cheesecake can last up to 3 days in the fridge.
If you wrap them VERY well, you can freeze them for up to 6 months. Wrap tightly in plastic first, then wrap again in foil to reduce the chance of freezerburn.
Yes, just a little. You my need to add 3-5 minutes to the cooking time.
No, I wouldn’t use straight lemon juice. It would be better to make a lemon simple syrup to use in place of the Limoncello, because lemons as pretty acidic, and Limoncello is sweet.
If you want the top layer to set, you do need to keep baking it. Otherwise, it will not cut neatly when sliced.
Once the cheesecake has baked for 45 minutes, go ahead and pour the sour cream layer over the top.
Looking For More Lemon Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- The Best Lemon Bars Recipe Ever
- Lemon Pepper Italian Ice Recipe
- Strawberry Lemon Layer Cake Recipe
- Lemon Drip Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
- Perky Meyer Lemon Tart Recipe
- Great Lemon Cookie Recipe
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe
- Best Lemon Buttermilk Cake Recipe
- Easy Orange Curd
Get the Complete (Printable) Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (Limoncello Cheesecake!) Below
Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (Limoncello Cake!)
Video
Ingredients
For the Biscoff Crust:
- 8.8 ounces Biscoff Cookies, 1 package
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Limoncello Cheesecake Filling:
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced (1/4 cup juice)
- 1/4 cup limoncello liqueur
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Sour Cream Topping:
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons limoncello liqueur
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place one oven rack in the middle of the oven, and one at the bottom. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any leakage. Line the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Then clamp the ring around the bottom tightly. (Trim the paper edges if desired.)
- For the Crust: Place the Biscoff cookies, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the cookies are finely ground. Then add the melted butter and pulse again to combine. Pour the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Press the crumbs with your hands over the bottom of the pan, and about 2/3 the way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- For the Limoncello Cheesecake Filling: Meanwhile, place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high for 2 minutes to soften and fluff the cream cheese. One at a time add the eggs, not adding another egg until the previous egg is completely blended in. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Then add the remaining ingredients and beat until completely smooth. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45 minutes.
- For the Sour Cream Topping: In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, sugar, and limoncello until smooth. Once the cheesecake has baked and is mostly set in the middle, spread the sour cream filling over the top of the cheesecake and place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool the cheesecake on the counter for 1 hour. Then place in the refrigerator to chill and set for at least 3 hours. Later, take the ring off the springform pan and slide the cheesecake onto a cake plate. Slice and serve cold.
Can this cheesecake be frozen and taken out of freezer the morning I want to serve it?
Hi Suzy, Yes, it can!
I haven’t tried making this yet but it sounds really good, however, I’m surprised that the recommended bake time is only 45 minutes (plus 10-12 minutes more with the topping), and no water bath is recommended. This is much shorter than other cheesecakes I’ve made. Is there something that allows this one to be baked for a shorter time, and no need for a water bath?
Hi Megan,
One of the biggest reasons to use a water bath has to do with the top of the cake cracking. Since this cheesecake has a topper that is added near the end, a little crack is no big deal! You cover it up with the topping. :)
OMG….. possibly the best cheesecake I’ve ever made!! Berries are pretty crummy here in the Northwest this time of year, so I opted for my killer Lemon Curd swirled over the top. Guests swooned!
Very good. However we used very high quality eggs with bright orange yokes and the filling ended up being slightly pink in the end!!!
Can I make the cake as mini cakes. How long would I cook them for,
i made it and everyone loves it. When shoud you remove the parchment paper?
Last time it stuck to the cheesecake and made it hard to cut in pieces
Hi Joanne!
You can slide the cheesecake off the parchment after you remove the ring.
this was the best cheesecake i have made so far.is there a special brand of lemoncelloi should look for next time?
This cheesecake looks so yummy and delicious.
I can’t find a 9 1/2” springform pan. Would a 9” change the cooking time?
Hi Marilyn!
You might need to add 3-5 minutes to the cooking time, but that’s it. :)
This cheesecake looks amazing! I was wondering though, would it be possible to ‘bake’ it in my crockpot? (I found this recipe through your crockpot one, but like the sounds of these ingredients/flavors) thank you!
Hi Sweetpea,
I can’t say for sure, because I haven’t made this particular recipe in the crockpot, but it should work. If you give it a try, please report back! :)