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Slice of Lemon Cream Pie
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Lemon Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

A smooth and creamy pie with fresh lemon filling and whipped cream in a buttery graham cracker crust.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 595kcal

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 9 whole rectangular graham crackers
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Lemon filling:

  • 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
  • scant ⅓ cup cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk
  • cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 large eggs yolks lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter cubed
  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 ¼ cups sour cream use a thicker sour cream, not runny

Whipped cream:

  • 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Crust:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Break up the graham crackers and place them in a food processor. Pulse until the graham crackers are processed into fine crumbs. 
  • Pour the crumbs into a bowl and stir in the melted butter and sugar. Once all the graham cracker crumbs are moistened, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and  halfway up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for about 13-15 minutes, until fragrant and light golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Lemon filling:

  • In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk and lemon juice. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbling. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
  • Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly add a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking as you pour (this will slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs). Add the egg mixture back to the pan and bring to a gentle boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in butter and lemon zest, mixing until completely combined. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
  • Once cooled, whisk in sour cream. Whisk vigorously to maintain the creamy texture. Pour the lemon filling into the crust. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Assembly:

  • Before serving, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with whipped cream (I used a star tip and piped it on, but you can also spread it using a butter knife or offset spatula). If desired, garnish with a sprinkling of finely grated lemon zest. 

Nutrition

Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 142mg | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 8.5mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 0.9mg