Best Key Lime Cheesecake
Submitted by doug
Key lime cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust and a tangy, silky filling made with fresh lime juice, sour cream, and three blocks of cream cheese. Two-stage baking gives it that signature crack-free top.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
9 hrsKey lime cheesecake is the dessert that gives you the punchy citrus of a Florida key lime pie with the dense, creamy heft of a New York-style cheesecake. Three quarters of a cup of fresh lime juice does the talking here, paired with sour cream for tang and a generous slab of softened cream cheese for body.
The two-stage bake is what separates a good cheesecake from a great one. You start hot at 375F (190C) for 15 minutes to set the edges and give the structure a head start, then drop the oven to 250F (120C) for nearly an hour. That low finish coddles the center so the eggs don’t curdle and the top stays smooth.
When the centre still has a slight jiggle, pull it. The residual heat finishes the job during the long overnight chill.
The drop of green food coloring is optional but traditional, real key lime juice is yellow, not green.
Pro Tips
- Bring cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs fully to room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients cause lumps and longer mix times, which beats in too much air.
- Don’t overbeat after adding the eggs. Air bubbles are the leading cause of cracks. Mix just until each egg disappears.
- Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake the moment it comes out of the oven. As cheesecake contracts while cooling, anchored edges crack.
- Chill overnight, full stop. Six hours is not enough; the texture firms and the flavor deepens with the long rest.
Variations
- Use chocolate cookie crumbs instead of graham crackers for a darker, richer base. The recipe even allows it.
- Add a tablespoon of finely grated lime zest to the filling for an extra perfume of citrus oil.
- Top with a thin layer of sour cream sweetened with sugar and bake five minutes more for a glossy finish.
Ingredients
Directions
For the crust: In a bowl, stir together the crumbs and sugar and stir the butter in well.
Pat the mixture evenly onto the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of a buttered 10-inch springform pan.
Bake the crust in the centre of a preheated 375 degree F oven for 8 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a rack and set aside to cool.
For the cake: In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese and the sugar until the mixture is smooth; beat in the sour cream and flour, then add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the lime juice, vanilla, and food colouring and beat until mixture is smooth.
Pour the filling over the crust.
Bake the cheesecake at 375℉ (190℃) F for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 250F and bake for 50 to 55 minutes more, or until the centre is barely set.
(It will continue to set as it cools)
Let the cake cool on a rack, and chill it, covered, overnight.
Remove the cheesecake from the pan and transfer it to a cake stand.
With a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip, pipe the whipped cream into rosettes on the cake or whatever you feel like.
Garnish with the mint sprigs and lime slices if desired,
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