In a medium bowl, combine flour, cold butter (cubed) and sugar until crumbly (a pastry cutter or your hands work great for this!)
Press firmly into a 9×13″ baking dish and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just dry looking on top. Let cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer.
Cream Cheese Layer:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and lemon juice and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If needed, add additional lemon juice or milk so that the filling comes together.
Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust and refrigerate to chill.
Lemon Pudding Layer:
In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar, eggs, corn starch, and lemon zest until completely smooth.
Place on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it comes to a low simmer.
Reduce heat if necessary so that the pudding doesn’t boil (a slow bubble is okay), and cook and stir until thickened.
Stir in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Add a couple drops of yellow food coloring if desired.
Remove from the heat and press through a strainer into a medium bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature before spreading over the cream cheese layer in the pan.
Place pan in the fridge and chill until completely cold, at least 6 hours.
Whipped Cream
In a medium bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Spread over chilled pudding layer and refrigerate dessert until ready to serve.
Notes
Tips:
Cool the crust completely. If the crust is hot when you add the cream cheese layer, it will become runny and melty.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The flavor is just unmatched by the bottled stuff.
Chill for at least 6 hours. Make sure you chill this lemon dessert in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours so it sets completely.
Make ahead of time. This Lemon Lush lasts 3-4 days in the fridge so it’s great to make ahead of time!
Storage:
Leftovers must be stored in the fridge and will last covered with plastic wrap or foil for 3-4 days.
