Lemon Cheesecake Bars
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 9 squares or 12 bars
- 2 sheets butter puff pastry, thawed in the fridge or 500g/1.1lbs crescent dough sheets
- 500g/1.1lb cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup/220g/7.7ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 30ml/1floz lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons/30g butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons/45g white (not caster) sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F fan forced. First line a baking tray with parchment and dock one sheet of puff pastry all over with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Step 2 - While it is baking, make the filling. Place the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and egg in a food processor and pulse to combine. Do not overbeat, stop when the ingredients are incorporated. Thermomix directions: Place the cream cheese, sugar,lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, salt and egg in the bowl and set to 30 seconds, speed #4.
Step 3 - Line a 20x30cms/8x12inch rectangular baking tin with parchment and using a serrated knife, trim the baked puff pastry to fit the base of the tin. Spread the cream cheese filling over the pastry base. Then trim the sheet of unbaked puff pastry to fit on top making sure that it covers the filling completely. I usually seal them together on the bench before lifting onto the filling. Brush the top all over with butter-it will seem like a thick layer but trust me, it will work out. Mix the sugar and lemon zest together and then sprinkle on top of the butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden. Cool on the bench and then refrigerate and then slice up into squares or bars.