Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake is the Perfect Spring Dessert
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Is any flavor as unassuming and underappreciated as lemon poppyseed? It’s the wallflower of flavors, but once you introduce yourself, it becomes your best friend. Lemon poppyseed is lovely as a cookie, cake, scone, and yes, it’s beautiful in this lemon poppyseed cheesecake.
Cheesecake is a Love Language, Okay?
This year, I volunteered to bring dessert to my great aunt’s for Easter. Before I could think anything through, I was whipping cream cheese and sugar and going through the motions for a cheesecake. You see, for me, cheesecake is the ultimate way to say “I love you” or “You’re an awesome human.”
If left in charge of dessert, there is a solid 75% chance I will show up with a crazy flavored cheesecake. In the past, I’ve shown up with a chai spiced-pumpkin cheesecake topped with pecan caramel, cannoli cheesecake, cookie dough, vanilla bean, and amaretto cherry.
One day, I hope to have all these recipes up on the blog. The only thing holding me back is the horror of potentially getting sick of eating cheesecake. God forbid I ever lose the taste for my favorite thing to make!
Why You Need to Try Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake
So, what’s so great about lemon poppyseed cheesecake? I mean… okay. We have to talk about this. Stick with me.
First of all, look at it. It’s a subtle, delicate, pale yellow with speckles of beautiful little black seeds. If that isn’t just the height of elegance, I don’t know what to tell you. Just one look, and it’s inviting you to sit down and enjoy a slice with your favorite cup of tea while gazing over a rose garden.
Secondly, the flavor is incredible. If the appearance is elegant, the flavor is sophisticated. The lemon lifts the tang of the cream cheese so no part of cake feels heavy. I mean, if you pick it up, it definitely has some heft.
However, it tastes light, fresh, springy, and zippy. It’s slightly sour, sweet, a little floral from the zest and the almond extract. And then you get little crunchy pops from the poppyseeds. Altogether, you’ll have to fight your instincts not to eat the whole thing yourself.
Starting with a Simple Graham Cracker Crust
Nothing is as simple or satisfying as a graham cracker crust. You, first, get all your stress out by pulverizing a package of graham crackers to a fine crumb. I alternate doing this with a bag and a rolling pin or using a food processor. There’s no wrong way. Choose your own adventure.
And, by the way, when I say you need a package of graham crackers, here’s what I mean. You buy a box of crackers, and inside there are a couple plastic sleeves, right? Pull one of those out. That’s it. You can use more if you want crust all the way up the sides, or even if you just want a thicker base.
However, for this recipe, I figured a thinner crust would be nice! So, you’ll mix your fine graham crumbs with a whole stick of melted butter. Press that into the bottom of your springform pan, and that’s it! You have a crust made.
Mixing the Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake Filling
First things first, you have to bring your ingredients to room temperature. Personally, I’m a serial offender of rushing my room-temperature products. However, when it comes to cheesecake, you have to take this very seriously. Set out the cream cheese, eggs, and lemon at least 2 hours before you plan to start baking.
When you’re ready to go, start by whipping your cream cheese and sugar until they’re really fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and dig down to the bottom. Give it a little stir to make sure the sugar didn’t settle at the bottom, and then give it another minute of whipping.
Then, you’ll drizzle the sweetened condensed milk in until incorporated, followed by one egg at a time, lemon juice, almond extract, lemon zest, and poppyseeds. After each element is added, let it mix in completely. Then, and this is important, SCRAPE DOWN THE BOWL.
Cream cheese is notorious for clinging to the bowl and showing up clumpy after you think your filling is all mixed. Avoid this by constantly scraping down the sides of the bowl, and making sure nothing is stuck to the sides or bottom.
Preparing to Bake Your Cheesecake
You have your crust and your filling, so let’s talk about assembly and baking.
To assemble, pour your filling into your springform pan which is already housing your graham cracker crust. It’s fairly simple, yeah? Now, pick up the pan about 2 inches off the counter and drop it. It’s not going to splatter, but it is going to jolt the filling enough to bring bubbles to the surface.
You are going to want to drop it on the counter at least 10 times to make sure all the big bubbles make their way to the top. It is going to be loud, so don’t do this part during naptime unless you have a sound little sleeper.
If your bubbles come to the top and just won’t pop, grab a toothpick and stab them. By the way, this whole step of the process is wildly relaxing. Talk about stress baking, am I right?
To bake, you’ll set a jellyroll pan on the bottom shelf of your oven. Preheat it to 300ºF with the pan in place. Then, you’ll want to place your lemon poppyseed cheesecake on the center rack. Just after you’ve set it in the oven, pour 1 cup of water into the jellyroll pan to create steam. Then, close the oven door immediately.
Your cheesecake needs to bake for 75 minutes, low and slow. Then, you’re simply going to turn off the oven without ever opening the door. Reset the timer for 2 hours, and let the cheesecake cool slowly as the oven temperature comes down.
Time to Chill
This recipe is a bit time intensive, but it’s not that complicated, really. The hardest part is all the waiting. And, speaking of which, you’re about to do a bit more waiting. Now that your cheesecake is out of the oven, it has to go in the fridge overnight. This ensures that your cake is chilled all the way through for serving.
I promise you it’s worth the wait. Warm cheesecake is just not that good. I’m sorry, but it’s not. No matter how great it could be cold, it will suck miserably if you eat it warm.
One tip: place a potholders under your lemon poppyseed cheesecake in the fridge. Otherwise, the pan is still a bit hot, and it could lead to cracking your fridge shelf. I can’t confirm that’s a real risk, but it’s better to take preventative measures.
Decorating Your Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake
I can’t let a cheesecake go naked. And while, honestly, this is one that really can stand on its own two legs, I had to frou-frou it up. So, we’re going to top it with homemade lemon curd and decorate with almond buttercream.
How to Make Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is surprisingly easy. You start with 2 lemons, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of butter. It helps if everything is room temperature, but honestly, it still works just fine if everything is cold. That might be the only time I say that in this recipe. This section is a summary, but I also have a post on the subject if you need more information.
Start by zesting your lemons directly into the sugar. So, measure the sugar out right into a small saucepan, and zest the lemons over that. You do this to make sure all the lemon oil in that zest makes it into your curd. The oil has flavor, and if you drop it into a bowl or on the counter, you lose oil to that vessel.
Stir the sugar and zest together. You’ll notice that the sugar looks wet and sandy almost immediately. That’s perfect! Now, whisk in the juice of those lemons and the eggs. Turn the stove onto low heat, and just start whisking.
You’ll be whisking for about 6 minutes. During this time, you’ll occasionally drop in a pat of butter, whisking until it melts and emulsifies into the sauce. By the 6 minute mark, your curd should be noticeably thicker.
Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve, and pour about 1/3 cup of it into the center of your cheesecake. To save the rest, put it in a cute little bowl, press some cling film down onto the surface, and refrigerate! It’s great with scones, which is another recipe I’ll be sharing soon.
How to Make Almond Buttercream
This is a simple American buttercream, so you’ll use 1/4 cup of butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1-2 Tbsp milk, and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Start by creaming your room temperature butter and slowly adding in the powdered sugar a spoonful at a time. It will start to look clumpy and way too dry, so add in your milk and almond extract.
At this point, it will loosen up but still look thick enough to carry the texture of a piping tip. That’s key here. You want your frosting to hold up to piping.
Transfer it to a piping bag set in with your favorite star tip, and pipe it around the edge of your cheesecake. You can even put a pretty little mound in the center and sprinkle some poppyseeds on to give everyone a hint about the flavor.
Who’s Ready to Eat Some Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake?
Now, it’s time for the main event. Let’s eat this thing!
The key to perfect slices is a clean knife, so rinse your knife with hot water before every single cut. This way, each guest gets a gorgeous piece of your creation.
Now, please, enjoy your own slice of this gorgeous little lemon poppyseed cheesecake.
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 1 package graham crackers pulverized
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 24 oz cream cheese room temperature (3 8-oz-blocks)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp poppyseeds
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ⅛ tsp yellow gel food coloring optional
Lemon Curd
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large lemons
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
Almond Buttercream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 to 2 Tbsp milk
- ½ tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven, and preheat oven to 300°F.
- Mix together the melted butter and crushed graham crackers. Then, press them firmly into the bottom of a spring form pan.
- Cream 3 blocks of cream cheese with ¼ cup of sugar. Stream in the condensed milk, mixing until smooth. With the mixer running, add eggs one at a time into the cream cheese mixture. Add in the lemon juice and zest, almond extract, poppyseeds, and yellow food color (if using). Mix slowly until incorporated.
- Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust. Firmly tap* the pan against the counter (like you’re dropping it on the counter at a height of one or two inches) to bring the air bubbles to the surface. You might use a toothpick to pop stubborn bubbles.
- Place the cheesecake on the top rack of the oven. Pour a cup of room temperature water into the rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack. Promptly shut the oven.
- Bake for 75 minutes at 300°F. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 2 hours. Remove and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- To serve, run a paring knife under hot water and carefully trace the knife between the crust and the springform pan. Gently unlatch the pan and remove the base from the sides. Clean the knife, and run under hot water again to cut cake into slices.
Make the Lemon Curd
- Add the sugar to a small saucepan. Zest both lemons directly into the sugar. Juice both lemons into the sugar as well. Add in the eggs, and whisk until homogenous.
- Turn the heat on to medium-low, and whisk for 6 minutes. Add in the cubed butter as you whisk, allowing each pat to melt in and emulsify. At around the 6 minute mark, the lemon curd should be notably thicker.
- Pour at least ⅓ cup of the curd into the center of your cheesecake and spread it out with an offset spatula. You may use more if you prefer.
- Store the leftovers but pouring into a container and pressing cling film down onto the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to a week. Great with scones!
Make the Almond Buttercream
- Whip the butter for a minute to break it up and add air.
- Slowly, one spoonful at a time, beat in the powdered sugar. Once all incorporated, it will look too dry. Add in the milk and almond extract. Whip until fluffy but able to hold its shape.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with your favorite star tip.
- Pipe generously around the edge of your cheesecake and, if desired, a fluffy mound in the center. Decorate with poppyseeds as desired.
