A fun recipe for mini lemon meringue cheesecakes, featuring lemon cheesecakes topped off with fresh lemon curd and meringue frosting. A perfect bite sized Spring dessert!

I got myself all hyped up, excited to watch Nashville only to realize that it’s not new this week. Boohoo. Seriously, what gives? Didn’t they just start back up after a Winter break? It sure feels like it. I swear they’ve only been back on for a month and now another break. At least Scandal won’t let us down. And after last week… definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next! Who else is following along and excited for the changes?! I won’t give any spoilers in case you haven’t caught up, but man… last week’s episode was good.

And in other very important news. I need to know. Who else is going to see Divergent this weekend? Have you read all of the books? I had every intention of buying the third book the second (okay… the day) it was released but I still haven’t. I have at least read the first two though. I promise I’ll have the third read by the time that movie comes out which should give me at least two years to have it read. Was the third as good as the first two?

And of course…happy first day of Spring! Not that the weather is acting like it in most areas of the country, but sooner or later the nice weather has to kick in. Until then, we’ll have to try and encourage Mother Nature a little bit, entice her if you will, with lemon-y treats and other Spring dishes.

I’m a big fan of lemon desserts. A little bit sweet, sometimes tart, but always perfect no matter what!

Even though I already had a very basic lemon-lime mini cheesecake, it was time to kick things up a notch and share an over the top lemon cheesecake. These are amazing. Creamy two bite lemon cheesecakes topped off with sweet homemade lemon curd and fresh meringue. The ultimate Spring dessert and an absolute must make. My family couldn’t get enough of these! Try them, you’ll see why!



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Mini Lemon Meringue Cheesecakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 cheesecakes
Mini lemon cheesecakes topped off with fresh lemon curd and meringue. A perfect bite sized Spring dessert!

Ingredients
 

Crust:

  • 24 Nilla wafer cookies
  • 2 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

  • 12 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp sour cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 large egg

Lemon curd:

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Mergingue:

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan.
  • In a food processor combine crust ingredients. Divide mixture among prepared cheesecake cavities, adding one small cookie scoop to each. Press down firmly to create an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes.
  • Decrease oven temperature to 325°F.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Mix in sour cream, followed by lemon juice and lemon zest. Finally add egg, mixing until batter is smooth and streak free.
  • Add one heaping medium scoop to each cavity. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool in pan to room temperature. Transfer pan to refrigerator to chill cheesecakes thoroughly, at least 6-12 hours or more.
  • Prepare lemon curd. In a double boiler over simmering water, whisk all ingredients for 8-10 minutes. Press through a fine mesh strainer, into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to the surface of lemon curd so to avoid a skin forming. Cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator to cool completely and continue to thicken.
  • Carefully remove cheesecakes from pan, removing pan disc from the bottom of each crust. Using a piping bag fit with a small round tip or a spoon, carefully add a small amount (roughly 1-2 tsp) lemon curd to each cheesecake. Return to cheesecakes to refrigerator.
  • Prepare meringue. Add egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar to a metal stand mixer bowl over simmering water. Whisk for several minutes or until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm. Move metal bowl to mixer, beat on low increasing to high until mixture is stiff and glossy, roughly 5 minutes. Add vanilla, mixing in well. Transfer to a piping bag with desired tip, pipe onto chilled cheesecakes. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue frosting.
  • Serve immediately. Store remaining cheesecakes in the refrigerator.

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 187mg, Potassium: 60mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 539IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cheesecake

More Spring recipes to try:
Lemon shortbread tartlets
Lemon sugar cookies
Blueberry lemon squares
Milk chocolate mud cups
Carrot cake cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting
Lemon blueberry muffins
Mini lemon-lime cheesecakes

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