Lemon Lovers Cheese Cake

Lemony cheese cake with sponge cake bottom, sour cream top and drizzled with lemon sauce. Times are approx.

• Ready In: 4 hrs
• Yields: 1 "9 inch cake"

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  sifted cake flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 3  extra-large eggs, separated
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3  drops  lemon extract
• 3  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3  eggs
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 2  cups sour cream
• 3  tablespoons sugar
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 2  tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups boiling water
• 1  teaspoon  grated fresh lemon rind
• 2  tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Sponge Cake Layer.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Sift cake flour, baking powder, together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
4. Beat egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes.
5. Then, with mixer still running, gradually add sugar continue beating until thick and light-yellow about 5 minutes longer.
6. Beat in vanilla and lemon extracts.
7. Sift flour mixture over batter and gently stir it in by hand then blend in butter.
8. In a clean bowl, using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy.
9. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
10. The whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry.
11. Stir about 1/3 cup of whites into the batter, then gently fold in remaining whites.
12. Gently spoon batter into the pan.
13. Bake cake just until center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes.
14. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack while making cheesecake filling.
15. Do not remove from pan.
16. CHEESE CAKE.
17. Preheat oven 300 degrees F.
18. In large mixer bowl beat cheese until fluffy.
19. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.
20. Add eggs one at a time and lemon juice.
21. Evenly pour cheese filling on top of baked sponge cake.
22. Bake 50-55 minutes, until center is set.
23. Remove from oven; turn oven to 500 degrees F.
24. Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla well; spread evenly over top of cheese cake; return to oven bake 5 min.
25. Remove from oven, cool, chill for several hours; best over night.
26. LEMON SAUCE.
27. Combine cornstarch and sugar in a small saucepan.
28. Slowly stir boiling water into the sugar mixture.
29. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
30. Cover and cook over very low heat or over boiling water in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until no raw starch taste remains, about 5 to 7 minutes.
31. Remove from heat and stir in lemon rind and juice.
32. Cool.
33. When ready to serve cheese cake drizzle over servings.