You can mince the zest with a knife to make the strands shorter, or you can use a Microplane for zesting.

How are you mixing the zest into the batter? When I make a lime pie (which has lime zest), the recipe says to mix the filling with a hand mixer, but I stop using the mixer before I add the zest and stir that in by hand - otherwise the zest get stuck onto the blades of the mixer.

I would not dump all the zest into the batter at once, but you do not have to add it strand by strand - just sprinkle it on so that it is spread out over the batter, and then fold it in.

I second the microplane. I use it all the time for pancakes and muffins.

Thanks for the input Lars and toya.... I do use a microplane, and did so today as well. Thanks for the suggestion of adding the zest and then stirring by hand. I really didn't dump it all at once, I sprinkled it in and then added more, with the KA mixer running on low. I'll try The Lars Method next time! :O)

I don't recall a problem with grated zest, but it can be added early, such as when creaming butter and sugar or can be whisked in to wet ingredients

Thanks, Lisa, for another suggestion!

Some recipes call for tossing dried fruit with flour before incorporating. ..maybe that would work?

Like lisaam and chase, I add the zest when I'm creaming the butter and sugar. Always works for me.

I mix it with the dry ingredients, as I do for raisins, dates, or blueberries. There probably isn't much dry to your wet in a cheesecake, so perhaps the creaming it with the wet ingredients would be better.

Thanks for ringing in on this, everyone!

Smiles,

Sooz

Iirc, you mix with your hands into the sugar and then do the other mixing. I believe I read that on Kate Liu's blog when she made a lemon Rosemary cake.and it makes great sense.

I'm making a lemon drop cookie right now and thought I'd mention that for this recipe the lemon zest is mixed with equal amounts of sugar and lemon juice before incorporating into the batter.