Spring is not too far off, hopefully, and I am very ready for it! So ready that I am working on lemon recipes to post throughout the season. Lemon is the flavor of Springtime in my book and since I love all things light & lemony, I’m really enjoying my “work” right now!

This is not your traditional cheesecake. Yes, graham crackers are sometimes used as the crust for cheesecakes, but here, graham crackers add some texture between the layers of satiny lemon cream. The cream part isn’t cream cheese, but mascarpone, an Italian double or triple cream cheese that is an exceptionally smooth, fresh cream cheese. The milky and slightly sweet flavor and rich, buttery texture comes from the high butterfat content. Mascarpone has at least twice as much fat as American cream cheese, yielding a rich, melt-in-your-mouth quality. There’s some heavy cream in this dessert, too, which isn’t in a typical cheesecake. The lemon flavor comes from the lemon curd that gets mixed into the cream. Top the cake off with some blueberries and you have an easy but elegant dessert. Just leave enough time for it to refrigerate all day before serving!

Lemon Layered Cheesecake

Lemon Layered Cheesecake (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 20 minutes + chilling time, Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup (8 ounces) prepared lemon curd
• pinch of kosher salt
• about 24 whole graham crackers
• blueberries, for serving

Instructions:

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing 4 inches of overhang. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone with the heavy cream at medium speed until the mixture is smooth and just firm.

Add the cream to the mascarpone and combine.

Fold in the lemon curd and a pinch of salt.

Add the lemon curd to the cheese mixture.

Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of the lemon cream on the bottom of the pan.

Start the layering with the lemon cream.

Arrange a single layer of graham crackers on top, breaking them to fit.

Add a layer of graham crackers & more cream.

Repeat the layering with the remaining lemon cream and crackers, finishing with a final layer of crackers.

Finish off the cake with a layer of graham crackers.

Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours or overnight. Uncover the cheesecake and invert it onto a serving platter. Remove the plastic wrap.

Turn the cake out onto a serving platter after refrigeration.

Serve the slices with blueberries. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.

Serve the slices with some blueberries.

Light & lemony, one of my favorites!  ~Linda

Lemon Layered Cheesecake (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 20 minutes + chilling time, Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup (8 ounces) prepared lemon curd
• pinch of kosher salt
• about 24 whole graham crackers
• blueberries, for serving

Instructions:

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing 4 inches of overhang. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone with the heavy cream at medium speed until the mixture is smooth and just firm. Fold in the lemon curd and a pinch of salt.

Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of the lemon cream on the bottom of the pan. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers on top, breaking them to fit. Repeat the layering with the remaining lemon cream and crackers, finishing with a final layer of crackers. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Uncover the cheesecake and invert it onto a serving platter. Remove the plastic wrap. Serve the slices with blueberries. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.