Words cannot express how pleased I am with how this recipe turned out! I mean seriously, how gorgeous is this cheesecake?! Would you believe it didn’t come straight from The Cheesecake Factory?

If you’re anything like me, then you might think that achieving cheesecake perfection of this magnitude is impossible or incredibly tedious. However, you might be surprised at how straight-forward this recipe is. There are quite a few steps, but they are all totally doable. There’s nothing mysterious about this recipe, it just takes time! I think you’ll agree it’s totally worth the effort.

Just look at this creamy, zesty, graham cracker-y masterpiece! There are three parts to getting the perfect cheesecake. First, the crust. In this recipe, the crust consists of graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Pretty standard stuff, yet it pairs perfectly with the rich lime of the cheesecake.

Next, there’s the filling itself. You might be surprised to learn that there’s no secret ingredient here, just cream cheese, lime zest & juice, sugar, eggs, and some cornstarch for texture. That’s another great thing about this recipe – not only is it relatively easy to throw together, but the ingredients are all simple.

You’ll bake the crust first for about 15 minutes, and then pour the filling on top once cooled. The trick to getting a smooth, even cheesecake like this one is to place a metal or glass pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pour in 3 cups of boiling water. Bake for about 50 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside for an additional 50-60 minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool for several hours.

See? There’s no great mystery to delicious cheesecake, it just takes some time and a little bit of elbow grease. Try out the recipe for yourself and get ready for the compliments from friends and family to pour in!