MEYER LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust! This is one of my favorite recipes, and how perfect for National Cheesecake Day! I have three Meyer lemon trees in my garden, and they're all workhorses, producing lemons all year round. Meyer lemons have a unique tangy/sweet lemon flavor. I use them in just about everything, from salads to fish to the secret ingredient in chocolate chip cookies! Of course, if you don't have Meyer lemons, other lemons will do.

The recipe for the Cheesecake is adapted from Epicurious. I've changed it up in several ways, using Meyer lemons and making a Chocolate Crust. No big surprise there! This cheesecake is great just about any time!

MEYER LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST

Chocolate Cookie Crust
2 cups chocolate wafer cookies (grind in food processor)
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling
5 8-ounce packages (Philadelphia brand) cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
7 large eggs
3 cups (24 ounces) sour cream
2 Tbsp (packed) finely grated Meyer lemon peel
2 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice

Directions

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir cookie crumbs and butter in medium bowl until evenly moistened.
Press mixture onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter removable-bottom cheesecake pan with 
3-inch-high sides.
Bake crust about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Stack 3 large  sheets of foil on work surface. Put cheescake pan in center. Gather foil around pan bottom and up sides (to waterproof it)

For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, then salt. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in sour cream, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice. Pour filling into cheese cake pan.

Place wrapped cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake cake until filling is slightly puffed and moves only slightly when pan is shaken gently, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cake in pan on rack 2 hours. Chill uncovered until cold; cover and keep chilled at least 1 day and up to 2 days.

Cut around pan sides; carefully loosen pan bottom from sides and push up pan bottom to release cake. Place cake (still on pan bottom) on platter.

Tip:
The pan: It must be three inches high to hold all the filling. If your nine-inch springform pan is that high, it can be used instead.