You guys are not going to believe the story behind this one!
First, in case you’re new around here, PSA: I HATE BLUEBERRIES! đ I mean, I’ll go pick them, but I actually don’t eat berries at all. Ever. But Anthony does. They’re his favorite (go figure) so I allow them in the kitchen.
But let me tell you about this cheesecake though. Oh. Em. Gee. Suffice it to say I was having a super off-day. Like just totally out of it, even for me. I’ve been making my cheesecake recipe for YEEAAARRRSSSS without a hitch, water bath and all… except for this time. Water. In. The. CRUST! Ugh! I was traumatized. I legit wanted to quit (oh no, not that song) and just trash the whole thing. But I was DETERMINED not to waste all that good cheesecake (forget the blueberries) without at least getting a few pictures out of it. Because, pretty swirlssss!
And so, here we are. Apparently no one even tasted the crust mishap (THANK GOD! But by no one, I mean my mom, Anthony, and his mom… because I certainly was NOT letting this chaos go outside the family).
Personally I scraped off the blueberry part and ate the middle (didn’t want to even go near the crust because I was so annoyed with myself). It. was. delicious! It’s like a lemon cheesecake that has blueberry swirled in to make it look pretty. Although, I’m working on a new lemon curd recipe that will just blow this out of the water with lemony goodness. Soon come, as Granny would say. đ
So ummm… I’d say definitely make this, but ummm definitely leak-proof your pan! I added a tip for that in the recipe below (that I’ll never stray from ever again). But seriously though, you’ve got to try this.Â
- Sauce
- 2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 2 cups fresh blueberries*
- 2 tbsp organic cane sugar
- Crust
- 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs (9-10 cracker sheets)
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- Filling
- 24oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)
- Adjust oven rack to lower third and preheat to 350. Spray 9â springform and double-wrap** with foil across the bottom and up over the sides.
- Whisk arrowroot, lemon juice, and water together in a small bowl until arrowroot has dissolved.
- In a small saucepan, cook blueberries and sugar together over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.
- Add arrowroot mixture and stir for anther 2-3 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Take the sauce off the heat and strain it using a fine mesh strainer.
- Keep both the cooked blueberries and the strained sauce for later use.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Then, pour in the melted butter and stir until all the crumbs are coated in butter and the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Pour the crumb mixture into the center of the prepared springform pan, pressing it evenly across the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides. I recommend using a flat bottomed glass to help make it even. This was really helpful for me. Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes, and then remove from the oven to cool while you make the filling.
- Beat the cream cheese just until the blocks blend together, and then stream in the sugar, mixing on medium speed until you have a smooth and creamy mixture. Then, mix in the sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla until combined. Turn the speed down to low and then add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each one is well incorporated before adding the next. Then stop! You donât want to overmix!
- At this point, youâll want to fill your kettle get some water boiling (more on that in a bit) and place the foil-wrapped springform into a large roasting pan with at least 1-inch sides.
- Pour the filling into the crust and give the pan a little shimmy to help the batter evenly distribute in the pan.
- Grab the strained blueberry sauce and, one teaspoon at a time, drop little dots of sauce across the surface of the cheesecake batter. Use a knife or toothpick to swirl out each dot of sauce to create your own beautiful design. Add leftover sauce into the bowl with the cooked blueberries and save for extra topping at dessert time!
- Open the oven and put the roasting pan (with springform inside) onto the lowered rack. Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until itâs about 1 inch deep around the springform. Be careful not to get the cheesecake wet!
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until the center is almost set. The middle will be a little jiggly, and thatâs ok! Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside for 1 hour as the oven temperature drops. Pop the door open just a little bit to let some of the heat escape while everything cools down. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it come to room temperature on the counter.
- Once cooled, wrap the top of the springform pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill the cheesecake in the fridge overnight (at least 6-8 hours).
- When youâre ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Remove the springform rim, slice and plate. Top with leftover blueberry sauce and fresh lemon zest, if desired.
**It is CRITICAL that you leak-proof your pan! You don't want your water bath seeping into your graham cracker crust... trust me. I know. Another tip is to put your (wrapped) springform inside a larger round cake pan (10" or even 12" round). I'm definitely doing that next time!