Grapefruit Cheesecake Bars

What stands out: These straightforward grapefruit cheesecake bars are rich, yet refreshing. This is a reliable summer dessert recipe but the sunny citrus flavor will brighten up a winter menu, too.

How long it takes: 50 minutes to prep and bake, chill for at least 4 hours
Equipment you’ll need: square baking pan or dish, parchment paper, electric mixer
Servings: 12

Grapefruit Cheesecake

It’s straightforward! Does making cheesecake intimidate you? We know we feel a bit intimidated by most cheesecake recipes. Springform pans, looming cracks, and 4 blocks of cream cheese? Yikes! In true Bomumo form, this recipe is significantly easier than the traditional recipes for cheesecake.

Lighter than classic cheesecake. This grapefruit cheesecake recipe is made with only one 8 ounce package of cream cheese (you can use reduced fat!). It’s not nearly as dense as classic cheesecake which can be cloyingly sweet and rich. This cheesecake is reliable for summer!

No special equipment. Grapefruit cheesecake is baked in a regular square baking pan so you won’t need to buy a springform pan. The pan is lined with parchment paper, so after you let the grapefruit cheesecake bars chill, all you need to do is lift that parchment paper out and slice the cheesecake into squares. It’s SO straightforward.

Helpful Tips

This cheesecake will appear alarmingly runny, even after cooking. Trust the baking instructions, and chill the cheesecake completely in the fridge. It will set up and be reliable for slicing.

Don’t forget the garnish. We recommend a slice of fresh grapefruit, and a sprig of fresh mint to garnish each serving. They add a bright freshness that is a reliable contrast to the sweet filling of the cheesecake.

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 35 minutes
• Total: 4 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs ( 10 full sheets graham crackers, crushed)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened (regular cream cheese is fine, too)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
• grapefruit segments and fresh mint, for garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray an 8 or 9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray; line with parchment paper, and then spray parchment paper.
3. If you have whole graham crackers, use a food processor to crush crackers into fine crumbs. Stir sugar and melted butter into the graham cracker crumbs and mix until combined. Press firmly into prepared pan. (we like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to do this.)
4. Bake crust for 7 minutes. Remove from oven.
5. While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until fluffy using an electric mixer, and then beat in the egg, sweetened condensed milk, grapefruit juice, and the zest until combined. Filling will be quite runny.
6. Pour filling onto the pre-baked crust. Bake until golden brown around the edges and the middle is slightly jiggly, about 35 minutes.
7. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate bars for at least 4 hours. They’ll continue to firm up as they chill.
8. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 12 squares.
9. Garnish each serving with a fresh grapefruit segment and a sprig of fresh mint, and serve immediately.