Blueberry Cheesecake
Serves 12
25 mins prep
80 mins cook
105 mins total
Blueberry sauce swirls into creamy vanilla cheesecake filling atop a brown sugar graham cracker crust.
Graham cracker crust
Blueberry sauce
Cheesecake filling
Optional garnish
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Do ahead
Set the cream cheese packages in warm water while you are prepping other ingredients to ensure it is room temperature.
Because the cheesecake needs to be completely chilled before serving, I like to make it the day before I need it so it can chill overnight.
The crust can be baked a day ahead. Just keep it stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic.
The blueberry sauce can be made days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
Make the crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Add melted butter and mix to combine.
Pour into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Pat into the bottom and up the sides. I like to start with my hands and then finish with a wood tamper.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the filling. You can turn the oven off at this point for now.
Make the blueberry sauce
Combine the blueberries, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Mash the berries with a potato masher, whisk or fork. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.
Remove from heat and pass the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Press on the berries to release more juice through the sieve. Discard the bits that don’t pass through.
Set sauce aside to cool.
Make the filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F again.
Combine cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whip on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, whipping in between.
Whisk together the heavy cream, vanilla extract and cornstarch until all the lumps are removed. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the heavy cream mixture.
Assemble
Pour half of the mixture into the cooled graham cracker crust. Spoon half of the blueberry sauce over the top. Gently swirl the sauce into the cheesecake filling with a knife or toothpick.
Cover with the remaining cheesecake filling and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
To make the pictured design, pipe a set of horizontal lines of blueberry sauce on top of the cheesecake. Take a knife or toothpick and drag lines in the opposite direction of the piped sauce lines, going up and down / back and forth.
Bake
Create a bain-marie:
Cut large pieces of foil. Stack them on top of each other in opposite directions. Place the cheesecake on top of the foil stack and bring the foil up around the edges. You basically want to make it so that no water can get to the cheesecake pan.
Place the foiled cheesecake pan inside of a larger baking dish. Pour boiling (or very hot) water into the larger baking dish so that it reaches at least halfway up the sides of the foiled cheesecake pan (but not so much that you risk getting water into the cheesecake pan).
Bake for 50-55 minutes. You’ll know it is ready when it looks firm, but there is still a slight jiggle.
Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside while the oven cools down. The key here is letting the cheesecake cool very gradually to prevent cracks. After about 30 minutes, crack the oven door with a wooden spoon or just open it slightly. Let cool in there another 30 minutes before removing to the counter to cool down to room temperature.
Finally, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill completely. I like to let it sit overnight, but just 4-6 hours is ok too.
