Easy Lemon Cheesecake Tart

I wanted to create an easy dessert for Easter and/or spring. Baking time is only 10 minutes and that’s for the crust. This can easily be made a day or two ahead of time which is great before a holiday. This easy dessert comes together quickly and is so yummy.

Baked Cookie Crust

Ingredients for Crust:

1 package of Keebler Shortbread cookies plus 1 sleeve of another package of shortbread cookies

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Crush cookies with a rolling pin or food processor. Drizzle melted butter over cookie crumbs. Form a crust in a tart pan (mine was 10 1/2”). Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. This is the only baking this recipe requires. Cool completely before adding Cheesecake mixture.

No bake cheesecake filling

Lemon Curd topping

Cheesecake Ingredients:

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese plus 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

Refrigerate mixing bowl and attachment(s) in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Beat cream cheese, sugar and extract together until smooth. Add whipping cream and beat until soft peaks form. Spread evenly into tart shell. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes or longer.

Top with 2 10 ounce jars of prepared lemon curd. I bought mine in the grocery store in the jelly section. I have made homemade lemon curd many times but since I work a lot of hours in a week, I used store bought for that reason. Plus the cost of eggs is outrageous right now. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. Refrigerator any leftovers. Enjoy!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

My friend Lizz, usually comes to Tampa to visit in July. When she does, I always celebrate her birthday. This year I threw her a flamingo party. She had no idea, I just told her to wear something flamingos. I created these Pink Lemonade Cupcakes to celebrate this year. The frosting had to be pink to match the flamingos. These cupcakes are super moist, light flavored with lemon, they are not pungent. The cream cheese frosting adds a light creamy taste to these wonderful cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 cup water

Lemon curd, jar or homemade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with liners.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined.

In a separate bowl, add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla extract and lemon extract. Combine liquids. Combine wet ingredients (except the water) to the dry ingredients and mix till combined. On low speed, slowly add the water to the batter. Scrape your mixing bowl to make sure everything is combined. Batter is thin but that’s what makes it so moist and yummy. Fill cupcake liners to about half full. Bake 16 minutes or until toothpick comes out with crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool completely to fill and frost.

I am going to be honest, I used store bought lemon curd in the jar. I have made it before and since this recipe uses so little jar is just fine. I found jar lemon curd in the jam/jelly section of the grocery store.

To fill cupcakes, I used a piping tip to make a hole. I filled the hole with the lemon curd and covered the hole with the top I cut out of the cupcake. It doesn’t have to be pretty because you are going to frost the top of the cupcake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8 ounce block cream cheese, chilled

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Red or pink food coloring, optional

1 pound of powdered sugar

Combine cold cream cheese and room temperature butter. I use cold cream cheese to keep the frosting stiff for the cupcakes. The frosting gets very soft when adding drops of food coloring. However, if you choose not to add food coloring, you would have lemonade cupcakes which is just as delicious. Combine with one pound powdered sugar. I used a 1M tip to pipe the cupcakes. Yields 12-13 cupcakes, recipe can be doubled. Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This recipe brings back many sweet memories of my Mom. My Mom loved muffins of every kind. When she was undergoing treatment for her cancer, she had a very hard time swallowing. She could however, still eat and swallow muffins. I would make different flavors a couple of times of week. Lemon Poppy Seed muffins were her favorite. In your memory Mom with love. 

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter, room temperature 

2 eggs, room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Zest of  2 large lemons

Juice of two large lemons*

3/4 cup of sour cream

1 1/2 Tablespoons of poppy seeds  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk flour, salt and soda and set aside. Blend sugar and butter together in a separate bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Blend in sour cream. Blend or stir in poppy seeds. 

Line with baking cups or spray your muffin with nonstick cooking spray. I bake muffins either way, so it’s your choice. Fill each muffin cavity about 2/3 full. Bake for 13 minutes or until a cake tester is inserted and comes out clean. Yields a bakers dozen, lucky 13! Enjoy!
*Using fresh lemon juice produces a subtle taste of lemon. If you prefer a stronger taste, omit the juice and use lemon extract. I actually prefer real lemon juice and lemon zest. Also, make sure you microwave your lemon(s) for 15 seconds on high and you will easily get twice the juice. This tip works on all citrus.

Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie

  I love lemon meringue pie but I never made one. I understand that meringues do not like humidity. I really don’t care for it either. 😉  So I decided to try it but it had to a mile high meringue. 

  
Pie Crust:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

1 stick of butter melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup of crushed macadamia nuts*

1/2 cup granulated sugar

in a bowl, mix together butter, graham cracker crumbs, nuts and sugar. Press into a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before making the pie. 

*If you are allergic to nuts, use 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and omit the nuts.   
Pie Filling:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2 cans of sweetened condensed milk 

8 egg yolks

3/4 cups fresh lemon juice (I used 5 lemons)

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

In a large bowl whisk sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Whisk in lemon juice. Add in zest and whisk until it all blended. Pour into pie crust and bake for 14 – 17 minutes until custard is set. Mine was done in 14 minutes. Remove from oven and make meringue.  You want to cover your pie while it’s still hot. Do not turn your oven off. 

  
Meringue:

8 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Use a metal or glass bowl only. Wipe the inside  of the bowl and and attachments with with white vinegar. This will remove any oil from the bowl and whipping attachments. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks are formed. Add cream of tartar and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Add sugar and mix to combine. Finally add vanilla. Top your pie with meringue and seal the edges. I tried to make spikey tips on my meringue but it was too stiff. Live and learn! It still tasted great, spikes or no spikes! Bake in oven at 325 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool completely before slicing.  (I cut mine too soon.)  Store at room temperature covered an inverted bowl as a dome or with a cake cover on top.  

  

  

Please stop by and check out the other spring desserts from my blogger friends.

  
http://crumbsinmymustachio.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/chocolate-strawberry-tart/

Chocolate Strawberry Tart

  
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http://www.therowdybaker.com/?p=4395/

Irish Coffee Macaroons 

  
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http://cookingfromasahm.blogspot.com/2016/03/easy-reeses-peanut-butter-cup-pie.html

Easy Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Pie

  

Luscious Lemon Pound Cake

I love lemon desserts. So light and refreshing. I love pound cakes. Moist and yet not too sweet with layers of frosting. 

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter, room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract*

2 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups sugar

6 eggs, I used extra large, room temperature

1 cup of sour cream

*for a bold zesty taste of lemon, add the zest and juice of one lemon, in addition to the lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a bundt pan with nonstick and flour combination.  In a bowl whisk together flour, flour and baking powder.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and extracts till creamy. If you are adding zest and lemon juice, do so now. Add eggs one at a time. Add half of the flour. Add the sour cream, finish with the remaining flour mixture.  Pour into bundt pan and bake for 65  – 75 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 25 minutes and place on cooling rack until cake is completely cool before adding the glaze. My cake was baked in a Pampered Chef Bundt pan. 

  
  Beautiful Classic evenly browned bundt cake.  
A perfectly glazed Luscious Lemon Pound Cake. 

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

2 – 3 Tablespoons of milk or half and half*

Mix well and pour over cooled cake. Enjoy!

   
 

Dig in!

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

I love lemon. I love blueberries. This recipe is a match made in heaven. The key is using real lemons and blueberries in season. 

 Cupcake ingredients: 

3/4 cup cake flour 

3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus an additional 2 Tablespoons for blueberries 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 stick of butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar 

2 eggs, room temperature 

 Zest of one large lemon
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 Tablespoons, strained 

 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

 1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 container of blueberries, reserve about 16 for garnish, if desired 

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet, place blueberries in the freezer and partially freeze. This will help all of the blueberries from sinking to the bottom. Line cupcake pans with liners. In a bowl, combine and whisk flours, salt and baking powder. In a mixer, combine butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time and combine. Add lemon zest and juice. Add 1/2 of flour mixture and then pour in the buttermilk and add the vanilla. Add the rest of the flour and combine. By hand, stir in blueberries. Fill cupcake liners up 2/3 full and bake for 20-24 minutes. This recipe yields 14-16 cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting. 

 Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: 

1 stick of butter, room temperature

 1 8 ounces block of cream cheese, softened

 Zest of one large lemon
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 Tablespoons, strained 

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

4 cups of powdered sugar 

 Combine butter and cream cheese. Add lemon zest and beat till combined. Add lemon juice and mix well, once combined, add vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar, scrapping down the sides after each addition. Frost or pipe on cooled cupcakes. Garnish with reserved blueberries. Store in refrigerator if not serving immediately.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Vanilla Bakery.