Lemon Swirl Cheesecake Bars

What You'll Need:

2 large egg yolks

1 + 3/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest, just the yellow not the white

1 pound room temperature cream cheese (regular or light)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup sour cream (regular or light)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

whipped cream, for serving, optional

1 cup almond meal or all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest, just the yellow not the white

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Filling:

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

How to Make It:

Make the crust:

Preheat oven to 325° F. Butter or line with parchment a 9-inch-square baking pan.

Add the almond meal or flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse to make a soft, crumbly dough.

Add the dough to the pan and press it out to cover the bottom evenly. Bake 20 minutes, cool on a wire rack.

Make the lemon curd:

Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves.

Add the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon juice to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves and it starts to bubble and thicken about 3 minutes.

Turn the heat up a little and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour through a wire mesh strainer set over a bowl. Mix in the lemon zest. Allow to cool.

Make the filling:

Beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup of sugar together in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the flour then the eggs, 1 at a time.

Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth. Pour it over the crust and smooth it out to make it even.

Drop spoonfuls of the lemon curd over the cheesecake batter and then drag a knife through them to make swirls.

Bake 40 minutes until set in the center and the edges start to pull away from the pan a little. Cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely chilled about 4 hours.

Cut into 9 big or 16 smaller bars and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired. For easy cutting dip a chef's knife into hot water and wipe clean then repeat between each cut.

Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days.