These lemon cheesecake bars are the perfect combination of bright, tangy lemon and creamy cheesecake, all on top of a buttery shortbread crust that is both light and flakey. They pretty much melt in your mouth. They’re easy to make and look beautiful when cut into squares, making them a great dessert for family gatherings, holidays, or simply when you’re craving something sweet and lemony.
The best part is that the lemon layer and cheesecake layer create their own beautiful layers as they bake, so there’s no need to worry about getting perfectly even layers. The first time I made this recipe, I was a little worried that the cheesecake layer would just sink to the crust and highly considered putting the lemon layer on top. I may actually try that one day 🙂
A Buttery Shortbread Crust
The recipe starts with a simple shortbread crust made with flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cold butter. Cutting the cold butter into the flour creates a crumbly mixture that bakes into a tender, buttery base for the bars.
After pressing the crust into your baking dish, bake it until lightly golden before adding the fillings.
Lemon and Cheesecake Layers
While the crust bakes, prepare the lemon filling by whisking together eggs, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice. The lemon zest adds even more bright citrus flavor. I like to zest my lemons using a microplane, like this one.
For the cheesecake layer, simply mix softened cream cheese with sugar and eggs until smooth and creamy. Pour the lemon mixture over the baked crust, then very gently spread the cheesecake mixture over the top.
Don’t worry if the two layers seem to blend a little—the fillings will separate as they bake.
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Peach Cream Tart with Recipe Hearts
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Two delicious layers, one lemony and another cheesecake, with a light and buttery shortbread crust.
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¾ cup butter cubed
Lemon Layer
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup lemon juice
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
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Combine 1 1/2 cup flour and confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or a knife until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press crumbs into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
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Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside while you work on the fillings.
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For the lemon layer, whisk together 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl. Pour the mixture into prepared crust. For the cheesecake layer, mix cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in 2 eggs and vanilla, then spread gently over lemon mixture. If it looks like they are blending together, don’t worry. The layers will separate during baking.
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Bake until the filling is set, about 30 minutes.
