Solar Eclipse Lemon Curd Cheesecake Bites

We’re having a solar eclipse party at work tomorrow so I went to Pinterest to look for themed desserts and found… nothing. Not even sunchips. And so good people of the internet, I bring you THE solar eclipse dessert,  Solar Eclipse Lemon Curd Cheesecake Bites.

    

Originally this was going to be chocolate covered cheesecake bites to mimic the eclipse, but I really wanted to show off the layers of the cheesecake and bring in some sunny yellow. And the little lemon wedges look like mini sundials so there’s an extra win ;D.

Lemon Curd (aka the sun)
zest of 1 large lemon
1½ cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 ¼ cup lemon juice
3 large eggs (or 6 egg yolks if you want the curd to be thinner)
8 T chilled and cubed unsalted butter

Mix together the lemon zest, sugar, salt, and lemon juice in a large, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until blended and simmering. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Using an aluminum or copper pan can make the curd taste metallic and alter the bright yellow color.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Slowly add ~1/2 of the lemon mixture from the saucepan to the eggs. Whisk.

Transfer the egg mixture back to the saucepan. Whisk to mix. Add the cubed butter and whisk for 6 minutes or until thick enough for bubbles on the surface to hold.

Transfer to a glass container and chill in the fridge a minimum of 1 hour before use.

Cheesecake Bites (aka the Earth & moon)
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
2, 8 oz packages cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake tin with paper liners.

Mix the crushed graham crackers and butter together until it has the consistency of wet sand. Scoop a generous spoonful into each cupcake liner and press flat with a spoon.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and silky. There shouldn’t be any lumps. Fill each cupcake liner with the cheesecake mixture just below the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack. Pop into the fridge to firm up a bit before spooning the lemon curd on.

Technically this part isn’t necessary, but in keeping with the celestial theme I took out each cheesecake and used a cookie cutter to get perfect little circle bites to show off the layer more. If this is for the solar eclipse, the extra effort is worth it right?