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key lime cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust and topped with fresh whipped cream

The BEST Key Lime Cheesecake

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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 11 hours 25 minutes
Servings 9 bars
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
This key lime cheesecake might be my greatest baking accomplishment ever (and I’ve conquered a bunch of pastries ok?). It has just the right amount of graham cracker crust where you taste it in every bite, the absolute best balance of lime to cheesecake per forkful, and a very lightly sweetened fresh whip cream to go on top. Honestly, genuinely, absolutely, so impressed with myself. This key lime cheesecake will be your new favorite dessert, I promise!

Equipment

  • 9"x9" Pan
  • Parchment Paper
  • Mini Food Processor
  • Spatula
  • Spoons
  • Mixer
  • Bowls
  • Whisk
  • Juicer
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Piping Bag
  • Round piping nozzle

Ingredients

FILLING
  • 24 oz Cream cheese softened
  • ¾ cup Key Lime or Lime juice
  • ½ cup Sour Cream
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 tbsp flour sifted
  • 3 large Eggs
CRUST
  • 1 ½ cups Graham Cracker crumbs
  • 6 tbsp Butter melted
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
TOPPING
  • ¾ cup Heavy Cream Double Cream
  • 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar sifted
  • 1 Key Lime or Lime cut into thin wedges

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F and grease and line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper.
  • For the crust, blitz your graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground and then combine in a bowl with melted butter and brown sugar. Press the mixture evenly into your greased and lined baking dish, using the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press down firmly into the bottom of the pan. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes before placing it in the oven to bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  • For the cheesecake, add your cream cheese to the bowl of a standing mixer and beat on medium-high until smooth. Add in your sour cream and lime juice and mix to combine.
  • In a small bowl, combine your sugar and flour with a whisk. This will help ensure there are no clumps of flour in your mixture. Pour over cheesecake batter and mix until incorporated.
  • Crack your eggs into your batter, one at a time, mixing between each egg until combined.
  • Pour your cheesecake batter over your cooled graham cracker crust; spread evenly in the pan with a spatula.
  • Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil. Place your cheesecake on the center rack in the oven. Place a large casserole dish on the rack below where your cheesecake will be and immediately (but carefully!) pour in your boiling water until it reaches about halfway up your dish. Shut the oven as soon as possible, once you pour in your water. You want to trap all of that steam inside the oven!
  • Bake your cheesecake at 325F for 45 minutes. When it’s done, there will be a slight wobble in the center of the cheesecake but the edges will look set. Turn the oven off but crack the door slightly, leaving the cheesecake in the oven for another hour.
  • After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature before covering it with foil and refrigerating it overnight.
  • If needed, use a knife to loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan before pulling the cheesecake, by the parchment paper, up and out of the baking dish. Slice into 3”x3” squares.
  • For the whipped cream, add your heavy cream to a bowl, sift in your powdered sugar, and whisk until thickened. Add your whipped cream to a piping bag with a round nozzle.
  • With your nozzle hovering centered and parallel above a cheesecake square, squeeze with even pressure for 3-4 seconds, pulling the piping bag upwards, to form a dollop of whipped cream on the square. Repeat for all squares.
  • Top with lime zest and a thin wedge of lime, if desired
  • Enjoy!
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