Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake is a delicious, zesty, and refreshing flavor combination for every cheesecake lover! In the form of simple raspberry lemon cheesecake bars, it's a perfect everyday dessert!
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Why you'll love this recipe
With a crunchy graham cracker crust, creamy lemon cheesecake filling, fresh tangy raspberries and delicious streusel on top, it's pretty hard to say no to a slice of these amazing raspberry lemon cheesecake bars!
- It's a pretty straighforward and simple recipe
- Great choice as make-in-advance dessert
- Customizable—raspberries are not your favorite? Use strawberries, blueberries or any other berry instead!
- You don't have to worry about cheesecake cracking, because the top is covered in streusel, ha! 🙂
Ingredients
You'll need:
- Graham crackers: traditionally used for the crust, which is arguably the best part of a cheesecake. 👀 You can use digestive biscuits or a similar cookie instead.
- Unsalted butter: for both the graham cracker crust and streusel topping. Mine has at least 82% fat and 16% water content.
- Sugar: I like to use light soft brown sugar for the crust and regular white sugar for the filling. But feel free to use one or the other for both!
- Ground cinnamon: This is optional, but I love adding a touch of cinnamon to my graham cracker crust. It adds a little bit of warmth that goes so well with the zesty lemon.
- Cream Cheese: I use regular cream cheese spread, Philadelphia or similar croatian brand. Make sure it's room temperature before use!
- Eggs: I always use large eggs in my recipes. Just like with cream cheese, eggs should be room temperature!
- Lemon (juice and zest): it's essential in my cheesecake recipes. Both the juice and zest give so much flavor!
- All-purpose flour: you'll need some for the streusel topping.
- Rolled oats: just a handful, for a more crunchy streusel, but you can omit it if you don't have any. Don't subsitute with extra flour.
Don't have room-temperature eggs? Don't worry! Place the eggs (in a shell) in a bowl filled with warm water and leave for 10-15 minutes. You might want to change the water once or twice to keep the higher temperature.
How to make raspberry lemon cheesecake bars
- Start by making a graham cracker crust. Press it firmly to the prepared pan and bake for 7-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the streusel topping. Combine the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the melted butter and combine with the fork, until it starts forming dough clumps. Add the rolled oats and stir to combine.
- While the baked crust is cooling, make the cheesecake filling. Using an electric hand mixer, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest, until creamy and combined. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk with a mixer until incorporated and smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake filling on the cooled crust creating an even layer. Top with raspberries and sprinkle with streusel.
- Bake for 30-35 min in a preheated oven. It's done when the streusel on top is golden and there's a little wobble in the middle!
Don't have fresh raspberries? You can use frozen ones or your favorite raspberry jam. Just dollop it on top of the cheesecake batter instead of raspberries and sprinkle with streusel!
My top tips for making this recipe
- If possible, use a loose-bottom cake pan. That way it will be easier to remove the bars from the pan. However, if you're like me and you only have a regular tall one, don't worry! Slice the cheesecake into individual servings and carefully lift each one using a small offset palette knife.
- Don't overbake the cheesecake. Keep an eye on the oven and the bake time. If there is a slight wobble in the middle and the streusel is golden, it's done!
- Let the cheesecake bars completely cool in the pan at room temperature and then in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- Use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass to firmly press the graham cracker crust in the pan.
- Make sure your cheesecake ingredients are at room temperature to get a smooth mixture.
- The baking time might vary depending on your oven and the material of the pan you use. Start checking the bars at 25-min mark and adjust the time accordingly. Get to know your oven! 🙂
Serving
This quantity yields 8 rectangular servings or 9 square ones, but you're welcome to cut it into 12 or 16 small squares. That way these bars would serve great as finger food at parties!
Storing and freezing
Keep the baked cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the fridge. Stored like this, they will last for up to a week (if they survive that long)!
Alternatively, you can also freeze the individual slices by double wrapping them in cling film and storing them in a freezer bag. Before consuming let them thaw gradually in the fridge overnight or on the counter. Keep them wrapped to avoid direct condensation.
FAQs
Yes, absolutely! No need to defrost the raspberries prior to use, because they could tint the cheesecake batter. Use them just like you would fresh ones!
Because of the streusel on top, it's a bit hard to tell when they're done. But you're looking for a slight wobble in the middle and a golden streusel. Check at 30min mark and then adjust the time accordingly, checking every few minutes!
Yes, use one or the other for both if that's what you have. I always have various sugars in my pantry, so this is just how I like to make it most of the time.
Yes! Since they need to be chilled in the fridge before serving, it's great to make them the night/day before. However, they keep very well stored in an airtight container in the fridge, so you can make them a couple of days in advance.
Similar recipes for you to try
If you have any other questions that I didn't cover, please let me know in the comments section down below - I'd love to help you out! And if you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @anasbakingchronicles so I can see it, or feel free to e-mail me your pictures and thoughts! I love seeing your bakes!
Happy baking,
Ana
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping
Description
ingredients
graham cracker crust
- 225 g graham crackers or digestive biscuits
- 30 g light soft brown sugar
- 115 g unsalted butter (melted)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
streusel topping
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 90 g granulated or caster sugar
- 75 g unsalted butter (melted)
- a pinch of salt
cheesecake filling
- 340 g cream cheese (room temperature)
- 80 g granulated or caster sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon (approx. 30ml of lemon juice)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 150 g fresh raspberries
Instructions
for the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) or 325°F (160°C) if using a fan-assisted oven. Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square pan (loose-bottom if possible) with cooking spray or butter and line the base and the sides with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter and pulse until evenly combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly to create an even layer. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool a bit.
for the streusel topping
- Sift and combine the flour, salt, and sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add the melted butter while stirring with a fork, until the mixture starts clumping together. Add the rolled oats, stir to combine, and set aside until needed.
for the cheesecake filling
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and beat using an electric hand mixer, until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl a couple of times with a silicone spatula to make sure everything is mixed nicely.
- Pour the filling over the crust and spread into an even layer. Scatter the raspberries on top and sprinkle with streusel. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set around the edges with a little wobble in the middle.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the pan on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge to cool completely—at least 4 hours before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use frozen raspberries instead of fresh ones. There's no need to defrost them!
IMPORTANT
All the recipes are developed and tested using only metric measurements and a kitchen scale. The U.S. cup and spoon measurements are provided for your convenience, but I highly recommend getting a digital kitchen scale and measuring in metrics. It's easy and always guarantee the same results in baking!
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
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