Easy Key Lime Pie Cheesecake

Easter is just around the corner and if you are looking for a real showstopper for the occasion, you cannot go wrong with this Easy Key Lime Pie Cheesecake! 

It combines two of the best Easter flavors, rich cheesecake and key lime pie, all set upon a chocolate cookie crust! For an even easier Key Lime dessert you can try my Key Limes Cups. 

STEP#1: Make Cookie Crust

For this cheesecake, I really love to use a chocolate cookie crust. It’s a great flavor combination against the richness of the cheesecake and the tartness of the key limes.

I like to use the Famous Chocolate Wafers for this, but feel free to use any chocolate wafer cookie you can find.

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Whirl them up in a food processor with sugar, salt, and melted butter (full recipe below) and that’s all there is to it.

Create an even layer of crumbs on the bottom of your springform pan to form the crust.

TIP: Pat the cookie crumbs down with a measuring cup. This will create a nice tight crust and it’s a bit easier to get uniformity this way, than trying to do it with your hands.

Bake the crust at 350F for just 5-6 minutes.

STEP#2: Fill with Cheesecake Filling

Once your crust is cooled, you’ll make the cheesecake filling and add it to the cooled crust as the first layer.

STEP#4: Make Key Lime Filling

Next, you’ll whisk together the key lime filling which is even easier!

What is Key Lime Pie Made of?

Key lime pie could be the simplest dessert on the planet. Its basically 3 ingredients.

• a can of sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of key lime juice

What’s the Difference Between Sweetened Condensed Milk and Condensed Milk?

Sweetened Condensed Milk has sugar in it, whereas Condensed Milk does not.

They both have a very thick, condensed texture, but I like to use the sweetened condensed milk for key lime pie recipes because it saves you the step of having to add the sugar.

Can I Use Regular Limes Instead of Key Limes?

In a word, yes. If you can’t find key limes you can use regular limes. I find key limes are a bit more tart than regular limes, but they have this very floral fragrance them that adds a great flavor to desserts.

But it’s really a subtle difference so if regular limes are all you can get, they will definitely work too.

Once your key lime batter is made, you will pour it on top of your cheesecake batter.

TIP: Resist the urge to just pour the key lime batter directly in the center of the cheesecake. It works better to pour it around the perimeter of the cheesecake and then a little bit in the center.

This will make it easier to smooth the key lime pie filling over the cheesecake so it’s completely covered. Otherwise, the cheesecake will rise up and crack before the key lime pie filling is set. So be sure your cheesecake is completely covered by the key lime batter.

It will take between 35-40 minutes to bake and should be slightly jiggly. No time to bake a cheesecake, try my No-Bake Berry Cheesecake instead!

STEP#5: Pipe with Whipped Cream

Make the homemade whipped cream (recipe below) and then transfer it to a pastry bag.

I love to make small little dollops all around the cheesecake. Starting on the outside edge and working your way in to the center.

It looks really pretty and is SO simple to do! Then garnish with a fresh lime zest and a lime wheel in the center.

If you have access to citrus trees, a little citrus blossom is also a pretty garnish too.

STEP#6: Chill Overnight 

This dessert really needs at least 4-6 hours to set and chill in your refrigerator. But overnight is even better.

The flavor will be better once the cheesecake is set and chilled and it will make it easier to slice too!

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Easy Key Lime Pie Cheesecake

Yield: 8 slices

Prep Time: 10 hours

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 10 hours 40 minutes

This Key Lime Pie Cheesecake combines two of the best Easter flavors, rich cheesecake and key lime pie, all set upon a chocolate cookie crust! The best part is it can also be made at least 2 days ahead of time! 

Print

Ingredients

• 4.5 oz (125g) of chocolate wafer cookies
• 1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) butter, melted
• 16 oz (452 g) of whipped cream cheese
• 1/3 cup (65 g) of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) vanilla
• 2 tbsp (15g) flour
• 1 14-oz (400 ml) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup (120 ml) key lime juice (about 12-13 key limes + one more key lime for the garnish)
• 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
• 2 tbsp (13 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F (176C). Spray a spring form pan with baking spray and distribute well with a pastry brush and set aside.
2. Place the cookies, the sugar and salt in a food processor. Process until crumbs form. Add melted butter, continue to process until wet crumbs form. Transfer crumbs to the spring form pan and shake the pan to level the crumbs and then press them tin with a measuring cup or the bottom of a glass.
3. Bake crust for 5-6 minutes until fragrant. Allow to cool.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar, beat on high until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat and then add flour and beat just until combined.
5. Pour cheesecake filling into cooled cookie crust, smoothing out with a spatula until layer is leveled out. Set aside.
6. In a large mixing bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and key lime juice. Whisk until smooth.
7. Pour the key lime mixture on top of the cheesecake mixture, making sure you are covering all the cream cheese with the pie filling. Smooth out with a small spatula.
8. Bake in a 350F(176C) oven for 35-40 minutes until cheesecake is set and jiggles slightly.
9. Allow to cool completely.
10. For whipped cream topping, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on high until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe little dollops of whipped cream all of over cheesecake until covered.
11. Garnish with fresh lime zest on top and a thinly sliced lime wheel in the center. Chill overnight to set.

Notes

Resist the urge to just pour the key lime batter directly in the center of the cheesecake. It works better to pour it around the perimeter of the cheesecake and then a little bit in the center.

Pat the cookie crumbs down with a measuring cup. This will create a nice tight crust and it's a bit easier to get uniformity this way, than trying to do it with your hands.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 518Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 211mgSodium: 355mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 1gSugar: 47gProtein: 12g