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Triple Lemon Cheesecake Swirl Bars

Prep 20 min
Total 4 hr 30 min
Servings 16

It all starts with a lemon cookie crust. Then we add smooth and creamy cheesecake, a swirl of pucker-worthy lemon curd and a layer of lemon cookie crumbles to bring it all home. ...MORE+ LESS-

Hungry Happenings

January 19, 2017

Ingredients

box (15.25 oz) Betty Crocker™ Cake Mix Lemon

1/2

cup (1 stick) butter, melted

eggs

ounces (1 1/2 blocks) cream cheese

1/2

cup sugar

jar (10 oz) lemon curd, divided

Steps

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1

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil or spray pan with cooking spray. Stir together the cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg just until combined. This mixture will be thick like cookie dough. Reserve 1/3 cup of the dough to top the bars.
2

Break remaining cake batter mixture into pieces and scatter them across the bottom of the pan. Press dough pieces down and together into an even layer to form the base of the bars.
3

To make the cheesecake filling, start by beating the cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs and beat until well combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon curd to add just a touch of lemon flavor to the cheesecake filling.
4

Spread cheesecake filling over the layer of cake batter in the pan. Dollop spoonfuls of remaining lemon curd over the top.
5

Use a knife to swirl the lemon curd and the cheesecake filling, creating streaks of white and yellow. Break off small pieces of the reserved cake batter mixture and sprinkle them over top of the filling.
6

Bake for 34-38 minutes. The cheesecake will have puffed a little bit but will sink as it cools. The edges will look set but the center of the bars should still jiggle.
7

Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack. Allow cheesecake bars to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature then refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours more. If you lined the pan with foil, lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares. Otherwise, cut in the pan.

Expert Tips

These simple dessert bars combine the tartness of a lemon bar recipe with the richness of cheesecake. And each layer—from the soft cookie crust to the cheesecake swirl filling to the cookie crumble topping—has a lovely lemon flavor. Even with all that lemon flavor, these bars are still so simple to make—no juicing or zesting needed—thanks to a couple secret(ish) ingredients. Betty Crocker Lemon Cake gives the soft cookie crust its sweet citrus flavor. And lemon curd adds a hint of tartness and swirls of flavor to the cheesecake. I usually prefer sweet to sour, but my husband is the opposite. This dessert was the perfect marriage of both and we couldn't keep our hands off of these bars. They’re so easy to make, you don’t really need an excuse (hello, afternoon snacks), but pretty enough to bring to a party. It’s a win-win.
Lining your pan with foil at the beginning will make the bars easier to remove once they’re baked.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 320
Calories from Fat: 140

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 16g; 25%
Saturated Fat 9g 46% Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol: 90mg; 29%
Sodium: 340mg; 14%
Potassium: 60mg; 2%
Total Carbohydrate: 40g; 13%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 29g
Protein: 3g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 10%; 10%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 8%; 8%
Iron: 4%; 4%

Exchanges:

1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 3 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

2 1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

These simple dessert bars combine the tartness of a lemon bar recipe with the richness of cheesecake. And each layer—from the soft cookie crust to the cheesecake swirl filling to the cookie crumble topping—has a lovely lemon flavor.

Even with all that lemon flavor, these bars are still so simple to make—no juicing or zesting needed—thanks to a couple secret(ish) ingredients. Betty Crocker Lemon Cake gives the soft cookie crust its sweet citrus flavor. And lemon curd adds a hint of tartness and swirls of flavor to the cheesecake.

I usually prefer sweet to sour, but my husband is the opposite. This dessert was the perfect marriage of both and we couldn't keep our hands off of these bars. They’re so easy to make, you don’t really need an excuse (hello, afternoon snacks), but pretty enough to bring to a party. It’s a win-win.