Key Lime Cheesecake

My husband's drink of choice is rum and Coke with a slice of lime. He really doesn't drink them that often, but last week, he got the urge for one. So, he made a run to the store -- where he saw that key limes were 15 for $1. So he figured, hey, I'll just buy 15 of them. Even though there is no way he could ever drink enough rum and Cokes to use all 15 limes before they went bad.

Long story short, I was left with quite a few limes that were just going to spoil if I didn't use them for something. I thought about making the obvious thing, a key lime pie, but then decided I'd rather try something new. I found this recipe for key lime cheesecake in one my cheesecake cookbooks, so I decided to go for it.

This is a delicious cheesecake. If you're a fan of citrus, I think you'd really love it. It has a sugar cookie crust, a creamy key lime filling, and a tart honey-lime glaze. I have to admit that it's quite tart, so if you're not a huge fan of super-tart things I'd definitely leave the glaze off, or reduce the amount of lime and/or increase the amount of honey in the glaze. Overall, though, this cheesecake was a delicious and refreshing summer dessert, and everyone who tried it absolutely loved it.

(By the way, I still have quite a few limes left to use, so if you have any ideas for ways I can use them up I'd love to hear them!)

Key Lime Cheesecake
source: Cheesecake Extraordinaire, by Mary Crownover

For the sugar cookie crust:

3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Substitution: 8 ounces of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

For the key lime filling:

24 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons sour cream
5 teaspoons flour
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup key lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the honey-lime glaze:

1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
4 teaspoons key lime juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

1. For the crust, in a medium bowl stir together flour and sugar. Add egg, butter or margarine, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined. With generously greased fingers, press the dough evenly onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. For the filling, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and flour. Beat with an electric mixer till smooth. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in limeade concentrate, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan.

3. For the glaze, in a small saucepan stir together limeade concentrate, lime juice, cornstarch, honey, and lime peel. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Pour over cheesecake. Chill till serving time. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.