Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Show: Paula's Home CookingEpisode: Lighter Side

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (134)

Cook Time:
1 hr 15 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
12 to 16 servings

Times:

Prep: 40 min
Inactive Prep: 6 hr 0 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total:: 7 hr 55 min

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Ingredients

Crust:

Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups fat-free vanilla wafer cookie crumbs, or any fat-free cookie crumbs of your choice
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages fat-free cream cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cups sugar or sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon Curd:

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, or any fat-free butter substitute

Directions

Make crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly spray a (9-inch) springform pan with cooking spray. Mix crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and crust is set. Cool on rack.

Make filling: In large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese and sour cream for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar or sugar substitute. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until incorporated. Beat in zest and juice. Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until center is almost set, but still slightly jiggly. (Do not overbake, as it will firm as it cools). Let cool completely.

Make lemon curd: In the top of a double boiler, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, and sugar or sugar substitute over gently simmering water. Whisk until hot and frothy, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in butter and continue whisking for 7 minutes or until thickened and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes.

Run a thin blade around the edge of the springform pan and remove sides. Transfer to a serving plate. Spread lemon curd over top. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries and zest, if desired. Cool cheesecake in refrigerator several hours or overnight before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake
Elizabeth Jacksonville, AL 02-15-2010
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The lemon curd is very tangy.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I like lemons, don't get me wrong. Lemonade, lemon Starbursts, lemon...just about anything. This cheesecake is very lemony.... The curd puts an extra lemon twang on it. Almost over the top...well, yeah, it was pretty over the top. This recipe is very good. It was the first time I've ever made cheesecake and I don't think it turned out half bad. I'm glad I made it. I think you could leave off the curd and never miss it.Read more
recipe Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake
Nicole Milpitas, CA 01-19-2010
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Yum!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was the first time making cheesecake and this recipe was easy and simple, and everything turned out great! The crust... wasn't as crunchy as I would have liked it to be so next time I'll leave it in the oven for longer. I didn't make the curd, but used a little more lemon juice and lemon zest than called for and it tasted SO GOOD and fresh! Guilt free dessert!!!Read more
recipe Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake
Marisa Lilburn, GA 01-18-2010
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Surprisingly good!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This cake had a lot going against it. First, I don't like cheesecake or any non-chocolate desserts. Second, it has no sugar... or fat. But it was my diabetic dad's birthday and he loves lemon. This had so many good reviews I was excited to make it for him. I tasted the batter and thought "Lord, please don't let me get diabetes and I promise to be good from now on". It was not yummy. Then, I baked it for an hour, not a minute more and the top cracked like the bottom of a dried up lake. I covered it with the lemon curd so you couldn't tell. I was sure it would taste like a disaster, but I was shocked. It was so good I had seconds. Everyone liked it a lot and we are not big fans of cheesecake. I think it was a tad overcooked, so maybe next time I'll take it out 5 minutes earlier. The lemon curd was fantastic. I made this cake exactly as the recipe called for and I did not miss the fat or sugar.Read more
recipe Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake
Kathy Tucson, AZ 01-16-2010
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Great calorie saver!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is a great low calorie recipe. When my husband got diabetes I started looking to change the sugar and fat content of our... diet. TIP: every recipe I have tried (cookies, cakes, etc) has worked great to use half sugar and half sugar substitute. This recipe is designed for all sugar substitute, but alot are not. Try it on your favorite recipe and cut down the sugar!!Read more
recipe Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake
Kim Lancaster, PA 01-14-2010
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Wonderful Fat Free Low Calorie Desert
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

2 years ago I changed my eating habits which resulted in a 95 pound weight loss. I monitor what I eat everyday and count the... calories and nutritional information. One thing I won't give up is a desert in the evening and it is hard to find GOOD low fat low calorie deserts. This cheesecake is perfect. The nutritional information I have calculated based on 1/12 th of cheesecake is: 200 calories, 4 g fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 551 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 10 g sugar 0 g fiber and 12 g protein. The only change I made was that I could not find fat free vanilla wafers so I used reduced fat vanilla wafers. The curd is a little tart which I like however for others in my family I added some sugar free strawberry sundae topping on top of the curd and it cut the tartness.Read more
recipe Joanne's Almost Fat-free Lemon Cheesecake
Crystal Mesa, AZ 01-11-2010
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Made Me a Cheesecake Lover!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Our neighbor has a gigantic lemon tree, so they share with us, and I needed a recipe that would use them up. I wasn't the... biggest cheesecake fan, but all the great reviews convinced me it would be worth it. I LOVED this recipe!!! I make it all the time now, and love the creamy texture. I really love lemon, so I have always used much more lemon zest than called for in both the cake and the curd. I even add a couple tablespoons of whole-fruit raspberry spread into the curd for an extra delicious kick! I should mention I haven't used Splenda - since I never have any on hand, but I would like to try it if I can remember to buy some one of these days. As another reviewer said, the only bad thing about this cheesecake is waiting for it to cool and set before you can eat it!!! :) YUM YUM YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Read more