Lemon Cheesecake Kuchen Bars
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
If you love lemon and simple desserts, here's a recipe just for you! These easy kuchen bars boast a gorgeous, bright lemon cheesecake filling. They're delicious warm out of the oven, but even better after chilling overnight. The dense lemon cheesecake straight from the fridge is out of this world.
Author:
Serves: about 25
Ingredients
Kuchen Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
Filling Ingredients:
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • zest of 1 lemon (reserve a little for topping)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 egg, room temperature
Glaze Ingredients:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk (depending on desired consistency)
  • extra lemon zest
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with a foil sling (overlapped pieces of foil that will be useful in pulling the bars out later). Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening until combined. Add the sugar and cream the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the baking powder and salt. Beat in eggs and vanilla until just combined. Add in the flour in a few additions, mixing until just combined after each. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the dough and press the rest into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes.
  3. Make the filling: While the base bakes, cream the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy before adding lemon zest, sugar, lemon juice, and the egg. Mix together until well combined.
  4. Spread filling over the base in the pan. Spoon the reserved dough into small mounds over the filling (mine were probably too big and too fussed over. Just kind of drop the small mounds all around and don't fret over shaping them or anything.)
  5. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until top is just barely starting to color (err towards 25 minutes: don't let it really brown or it'll be overdone). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle the glaze over the bars before cutting and serving. But honestly, these bars are even better after chillin' overnight in the fridge -- nothing like cold, dense lemon cheesecake, oh my gosh.
Recipe by Willow Bird Baking at https://willowbirdbaking.com/2015/02/08/lemon-cheesecake-kuchen-bars/