Guest Post–Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars

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Today’s post is from Heather of the sweet blog Sprinkle Bakes.

Heather’s blog is one of those that I find myself immediately clicking on the second I see that she has a new post up. Her recipes are mad creative, and her photos…are stunning.

I am DYING to go to her house. I imagine it would be a combination of Willy Wonka and Fancy Nancy, and I have no doubt that the whole day would be totally enchanting.

And I really love the word enchanting. Don’t you?
 

When Kristan asked me to guest post here, I was thrilled! 
Then almost immediately after, I was worried that you all might be disappointed that I’m not as funny or witty as she is…. then I thought I’d distract you with these yummy Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars, and maybe you wouldn’t notice.
Is it working?

 

I took these home for Easter and they were instantly a family favorite. 

 

Lime curd is tinted and swirled into the cheesecake batter to create a lovely marbleized effect.

Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars [click
to print]

Crust:
2 cups graham crackers
8 tbsp (1 US stick) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 10×10
pan with parchment that overhangs the edges.  Mix the butter and graham crackers together and press into the bottom of the pan evenly.  Bake crust for 5 minutes and allow to cool completely.
Filling:

2 bricks (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs plus one large egg white
2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup prepared lime curd, divided (recipe
below)

Liquid green food coloring

Liquid yellow food coloring
Tint the 3/4 cup of lime curd with the liquid food coloring until lime-rind green.  You will use a few drops of both green and yellow food coloring.  Set lime curd aside.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium high speed until smooth.  Beat in eggs on low speed, 1 at a time.  Beat in sour cream and vanilla, then flour just until blended.  Remove 1 cup of batter and reserve.  Pour the rest of the batter over the crust.

Mix 1/2 cup of tinted lime curd with the 1 cup of reserved batter.  Place spoonfuls or dollops of this mixture in no particular fashion on top of the plain cheesecake batter.  Dollop the remaining 1/4 cup of lime curd  across the previous mixture.  Use skewer to swirl the mixtures together to create a marbleized effect. 
Bake for 35 minutes at 325 degrees F.  Let cool completely in pan then refrigerate.  Lift cheesecake out of the pan with parchment overhang.  Cut into bars before serving.
Lime Curd
8 tbsp  (1 US. stick) unsalted butter,
softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 4 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl using an
electric mixer. Slowly add the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Pour in lime juice and mix again.  Expect the mixture to look curdled, this is normal.

Cook the mixture over medium heat in a
medium-size saucepan until it looks smooth (no longer curdled.) Increase the heat slightly and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. Clip a thermometer to the side of the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 170 degrees.

Remove the curd from the heat. Transfer the curd to a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface of the lime curd to keep a skin from forming.  Chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Heather is currently writing a cookbook that I can’t WAIT to get my hands on. No doubt it will be my new favorite.


Be sure to go check out Sprinkle Bakes…you’ll never want to leave (but you will…eventually…right??)!!


Thanks so much for visiting me today!!

Thanks for reading!! I put lots of love into this post, so if you enjoyed it, please leave a comment, share, or subscribe. (As you can probably tell, I'm in constant need of validation, so this keeps me from questioning my self worth and crying into a box of wine) If, by some chance, you didn't enjoy the post, take it up with my personal zombie ninja.

Comments

  1. 1
    Kristen - Dine & Dish says:

    I'm thinking I need these for dessert, now. So delicious!

    • 2
      Amy says:

      These look great, but I didn’t see the amount of sour cream or vanilla in the ingredients list. Would love to make. Could the recipe be updated to include amounts for sour cream and vanilla?

      • 3
        Jennifer says:

        I was gonna make these tomorrow and just noticed the sour cream and vanilla in the directions, but not on the list of ingredients. Any one have an idea? Hoping I can still make these tomorrow.

        • 4
          Jennifer says:

          Ok from looking at other websites I am guessing the sour cream is 1/2 cup and vanilla is 2tsp. I am going off another recipe I found online that was 1/2 of the current recipe. I think I am going to give it a try….wish me luck!

    • 5
      Sharon Saylor says:

      These looks delicious! I want to try these out.

  2. 6
    Lyndsey says:

    I don't know what to make these for but they will be made. And soon. Nom.

  3. 7
    Lauren at Keep It Sweet says:

    These might just be the prettiest cheesecake bars I've ever seen!

  4. 8
    Chris says:

    I love all things lime and these look scrumptious!

  5. 9
    Maris (In Good Taste) says:

    These are stunning!

  6. 10
    Lindsey @ Hot Polka Dot says:

    Two of my favourite bloggers in the same place. I love it! Delicious cheesecake, Heather! I love how pretty and green they are.

  7. 11
    TeenaBugg38 says:

    Not only do those sound amazing but they are absolutely beautiful!!!!

  8. 12
    Ally Lynn says:

    These sound SO GOOD. And they look amazing!!

  9. 13
    Anonymous says:

    errr… how much sour cream and vanilla are needed? They are not listed with the other ingredients?

  10. 15
    Caylee says:

    I LOVE the purple and green together !

  11. 16
    SprinkleBakes says:

    Anonymous – 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tsp vanilla – so sorry about that. Corrected in printable version!

  12. 17
    Jessica @ How Sweet says:

    These are SO pretty! I can't wait to make them!

  13. 18
    girlsgonescrappin says:

    These sound yummy and look so pretty that I can't wait to try them!

  14. 19
    cookies and cups says:

    Heather, gorgeous!!!! These bars would make a perfect breakfast…fruit, cheese…
    or lunch..or maybe even dinner? what the heck, you know I'd eat the whole pan until they were gone ;)

  15. 20
    BigBearswife says:

    these look so pretty!! and I bet they taste great! I love the marble look!

  16. 21
    Amber | Bluebonnets and Brownies says:

    I love love love how beautifully green these are. Not enough things are lime flavored! The swirls make them some of the most beautiful bar desserts I've ever seen. Glad you guest posted for Kristan!

  17. 22
    Audra says:

    I am so glad I found this through Heather's blog! Your blog is amazing. I am so inspired by how cute and creative it is. I will be checking it out regularly for sure!
    -Audra (the-baker-chick.com)

  18. 23
    Kelly says:

    These look incredible! I love your blog (and of course Heather's, too) and can't wait to try these out next weekend! Thanks so much for sharing.

  19. 24
    Sue says:

    Heather, Leave it to you to come up with the prettiest(and no doubt the tastiest) key lime dessert ever! :)

  20. 25
    kitchenmisfit says:

    Those look amazing! I love the color!

  21. 26
    Jennifurla says:

    Great guest post! I Love Heather (girl crush of mine) Lovely guest post.

  22. 27
    Amanda Kuzak says:

    Wow, these are so pretty, perfect for a summer party!

  23. 28
    The Vanilla Bean Baker says:

    What a pretty looking bar! Love the swirls. Great post Heather :)

  24. 29
    Jodie says:

    These look amazing! Perfect for summer!

  25. 30
    Lori @ Girl Meets Oven says:

    Love the beautiful green swirls in these bars. I'm super jealous. I tried to make lime bars once, but it ended in disaster. After baking, the graham cracker crust that was on the bottom of the pan when I started had floated to the top. Your bars look so much better, and with a crust on the bottom where it properly belongs. :)

  26. 31
    Leslie says:

    UmmmYUM..I love the layered look of these. And the swirl puts them over the top!

  27. 32
    Lora says:

    Sprinkle Bakes is a genius and this is just gorgeous.

  28. 33
    gnee @ Singing With Birds says:

    Congrats, Heather's luscious-looking Key Lime bars made this week's top hits @ singingwithbirds.com. Thanks for sharing such a fabulous dessert with all of us….love your blog!

  29. 34
    La says:

    These look delicious and perfect for St. Patrick's Day. Thanks for the recipe!

  30. 35
    All That's Left Are The Crumbs says:

    Wow, just wow! I just love how the color on top pops out, and I agree that these will become many people's go-to dessert for St. Paddy's Day.

  31. 36
    marla says:

    Two of my favorite bloggers teaming up together is awesome! Heather these bars are a fabulous & very pretty treat :) xo

  32. 37
    Laura@Corner House says:

    These look so yummy and so pretty! I am linking this up to my blogs facebook page.

    I am a finalist in a huge room makeover giveaway. I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment and stop by and vote for me. I'm 3#. Thanks. Laura

    http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/2011/05/top-5-plead-their-case.html

  33. 38
    Tracy says:

    I love Heather's blog too, and these bars look amazing; I've never seen anything like them! These are a perfect summer treat!

  34. 39
    Anonymous says:

    I like your concept and it does look interesting, but as a professional baker, you might want to make your green a little on the yellowish side. If you look at Key Lime Juice, it is not green. I am not trying in anyway to take away from what you've accomplished or am I trying to be rude in anyway and I am sure that your cheesecake tastes amazing. Your concept should be applauded and never stop creating. Keep baking!

  35. 40
    Lili says:

    For some reason the images are not showing up for me on this post. But I saw a little sneak peek over at Heather's blog and I already know they are gorgeous! ~Lili

  36. 41
    sheila @ Elements says:

    Oh my gosh…these key lime cheesecake bars are drop dead gorgeous! The color and marbleizing is just stunning! And I'm sure they're out-of-this-world delicious as well! I gotta make these! :)

  37. 42
    katy says:

    We made these last weekend and WOW! They are fantastic! Super smooth and creamy, pretty to look at too :-)… the lime curd was so easy to make and was a great contrast to the cheesecake. I didn't have graham cracker crumbs, but I did have oatmeal cookie crumbs (I buy the super cheap iced oatmeal cookies and grind them up) and gingersnap crumbs, and mixed them together for the crust – the ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg flavor complemented the filling perfectly. This is a keeper, for sure! Thank you both for this post!

  38. 43
    Anonymous says:

    I've made these twice now and everyone LOVED them! My fiance' is not a cheesecake fan and this is one of his favorites! Gorgeous and delicious combo!!!!

  39. 44
    Lo says:

    This look delicious!
    Is there any way lime juice could be replaced with real key lime juice? Would the measurements still be the same?

  40. 45
    Anne the Sconess says:

    These are absolutely beautiful! I can’t wait to try them. Since I’m new to living in Florida, many of my new friends have told me there is a huge difference between regular limes and “the real deal Key Limes”. Do you recommend using the “normal” larger, brighter limes or an equivalent of Florida Key Limes? I’m so dying to try these!

  41. 46
    laxmom says:

    I am in the middle of making these and can some please HELP. The recipe directions call for sour cream and vanilla but there are no ingredient amounts in the descritpion. Can someone please provide how much sour cream and vanilla to add to cheesecake portion of the recipe.

  42. 48
    Betty Crocker-Gonna-Be says:

    I love these. They are beautiful! Can’t wait to try them! I haven’t made many desserts yet… but I want to! I have quite a collection going of recipe books, and i’m getting pretty good at chicken recipes. Hoping to be a little Suzy Homemaker someday soon! Practice makes perfect… and I definitely want to try these! Thanks!

  43. 49
    Mindy says:

    How much sour cream and vanilla?

  44. 50
    Mee says:

    This recipe sucks butt.

  45. 51
    Aj says:

    How much sour cream and vanilla ?

  46. 52
    Bev Ball says:

    I saw these and immediately thought…YUMMO!!

    Thank you so much for sharing :)

  47. 53
    Ailene says:

    Okay, first thing: the filling was DELICIOUS! I will definitely make this again.

    However, the crust was too dry, so I definitely need to make adjustments there. Do you use 2 cups of graham cracker *crumbs*? That’s what I did. However, I noticed that one package of crushed graham crackers equals about 1.5 cups, so I might try that next time.

    Another note, is that I baked this in an 8×8 pan (because I don’t have a 10×10 pan), and lined the bottom with tin foil (because I didn’t have parchment paper). Probably because of the smaller pan, I had to cook it longer for the cheesecake part to be done (and it still turned out wonderful). However, the longer cooking time, and maybe the tin foil, may have contributed to my dry crust. We’ll see!

    I’ll be making this again for St. Patrick’s Day.

  48. 54
    Soonerdiva says:

    Love how I made my list to go to the store and you FAIL to say in the list you need sour cream.?!?! The sad thing is I am not the first person I now realize to post this. Fix the recipe!!!

  49. 56
    yummyyyyy says:

    help me and send me this yummmyyyyyy

  50. 57
    Charlotte says:

    The result is amazing, but this recipe is the worst. I got so confused making them! There’s no organization and the ingredients are all over the place. Grr!

  51. 58
    Martha Getchell says:

    Made these yesterday and they were ELEGANT! Thankfully after looking at the posts someone had mentioned that you needed 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tsp van. I couldnt find lime curd in the store so made my own. Thought maybe the curd hadnt cooked long enough and it wasnt thick enough but kept following the directions and they came out beautiful. The only thing I would do different is add a little lime zest to the batter for some extra lime flavoring. All in all will make them again as they were a big hit!

  52. 59
    Annie Green Eyes says:

    Just made these and oh, my, heaven………….DELICIOUS! Half the bars were gone in less than an hour after serving. Thank you for an awesome recipe…wouldn’t change one thing.

  53. 60
    Sara says:

    I found this recipe on pintrest. They look so yummy… I am pregnant and craving lime stuff and normally don’t think lime anything is good. My husband loves keylime pie so I am thinking about making these for St. Patrick’s day this weekend! Can’t wait to try them! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  54. 61
    Ericka says:

    Made these yesterday for my son’s birthday and they are just marvelous! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe:)

  55. 62
    mari carmen says:

    Realmente precioso me gusta mucho tus recetas un beso

  56. 63
    ALIMENTA says:

    Hola, te he conocido a través de un fantástico blog Español y desde luego que te sigo.

    Besossssssssssssssssssssssssss

Trackbacks

  1. [...] Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars that I made for the 4th of July {ack, it’s been that long!}, and they seemed to be a hit. After the fact, I figured I should have colored them with blue or red {or both!} instead of green. Oh well… These required me to make lime curd since we couldn’t find it in the store. That made me nervous, but honestly, it was very easy. Creamy cheesecake on the bottom with a bite of key lime on the top. Yummo! [...]

  2. [...] Put into fridge. 10. When chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream. // // This is another all-time reader favorite.  Cheesecake Factory’s Key Lime Cheesecake Restaurant Re…cream! Cheesecake Factory’s Key Lime Cheesecake Restaurant Recipe Ingredients // // 1 3/4 cups [...]

  3. [...] Source: A recipe by  Heather at Sprinkle Bakes, which was guest-posted on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. [...]

  4. [...] confessionsofacookbookqueen.com via Catherine on [...]

  5. [...] shy of a year ago, my friend Heather posted some amazing Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars on my [...]

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