Blueberry Cheesecake
Photo by Nico Schinco
MAKES
one 9 inch / 23 cm cheeseake
TAKES
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This cheesecake is magic: silky smooth, bursting with blueberry flavor, and the most beautiful deep purple color. It’s delicious made with fresh, in-season berries - but if you don’t want to turn your oven on in the summer, it works beautifully with frozen blueberries, too. Prepare for ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ when you slice into it!
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
210 g / 1 ¾ cups shortbread cookie or graham cracker crumbs
25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
85 g / 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
pinch fine sea salt
Cheesecake:
510 g / 18 ounces (about 3 heaping cups) fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if frozen)
30 g / 2 tablespoons lemon juice
300 g / 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
1 g / ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
7 g / 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
907 g / 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
283 g / 5 large eggs, at room temperature
whipped cream, for finishing (optional)
fresh blueberries, for finishing (optional)
More Cake Tips:
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with an oven rack in the middle.
2. Make the crust: in a medium bowl, stir the cookie crumbs, sugar, butter, and salt to combine. Press the mixture evenly into the base of a 9 inch / 23 cm springform pan.
3. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the crust until lightly golden, 10-12 minutes. Let the crust cool to room temperature, then wrap the outside of the pan well with aluminum foil, and transfer the springform pan to a large roasting pan (you’ll be baking it in a hot water bath later).
4. Reduce the oven temperature down to 325°F / 150°C. Heat a large kettle of water to a simmer.
5. Make the filling: in a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, lemon juice, 50 g / ¼ cup sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down and are very soft, 7-9 minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and blend until the mixture forms a relatively smooth puree. Stir in the vanilla, and cool to room temperature.
6. Add the cream cheese and the remaining 250 g / 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar to the food processor and process until the mixture is very smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and process just until each is combined, scraping the bowl a few times throughout the process.
7. Pour the custard into the cooled crust. Carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan, 65-75 minutes.
8. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside with the door propped open for 20-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until well chilled.
9. Gently run a knife around the edge of the chilled cheesecake to loosen it at the edges, then remove the outer ring. Gently slide a large spatula around the outside edge of the cake to remove from the base (if desired) and transfer to a serving platter or board. Serve topped with whipped cream and blueberries, if desired.
NOTES:
This is especially delicious when made with wild blueberries.
To use frozen blueberries, fully thaw the fruit, and drain it well before measuring for the recipe. If you skip this step, the blueberry puree may be too wet and can throw off the ratio of the final cheesecake.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
