A show-stopping vanilla cheesecake baked on a graham cracker crust with dreamy swirls of blueberry throughout.
Makes one 9″ cheesecake, 10-12 servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Sauce:
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tsp. water
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. cornstarch
Crust:
9 graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
6 Tbs. butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Cheesecake:
2 lbs. (4 blocks) brick-style cream cheese, softened
1 1/8 cups (225g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, at room temperature
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. lemon zest*
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Topping (Optional):
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
1 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Place the blueberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine. Set the pan over medium heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat so the berries are simmering. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the berries have completely burst.
- Strain the berry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the pulp. Whisk the cornstarch into the strained berry juice, and pour the sauce back into the saucepan. Return the pan to medium heat. Stir frequently until the sauce begins to thicken and bubble. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.**
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Throughly wrap the outside of a 9″ springform pan in sheets of aluminum foil, crimping the sheets tightly around the upper edges of the pan. It is recommended to use 3 sheets, to ensure no water seeps into the bottom of pan.
- Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and salt in a mixing bowl until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Pack the mixture tightly and evenly into the bottom of the pan, and a little ways up the sides. Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the preheated oven.
- Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes, until it is golden brown at the edges. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling.
- Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until it is completely smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and continue beating for a minute longer, until smooth and combined.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the eggs two at a time. Stop beating just as soon as the eggs are incorporated and no large streaks of yolk remain.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the par-baked crust. Tap the pan lightly against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Drop the blueberry sauce by half-teaspoons over the surface of the cheesecake. Using a toothpick, swirl the sauce to create a marbling effect (less is more here).
- Place the springform pan in a larger square pan. Carefully pour enough water into the square pan to rise 1/2″ up the sides of the springform pan. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake the cheesecake for 60-70 minutes, without opening the oven until an hour has passed. Test the cheesecake is done by gently jiggling the pan. It should wobble slightly at the very center, but hold mostly stable at the edges. Crack the oven door 2-3 inches and turn off the oven. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and transfer to the refrigerator. Refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Within a few hours of serving, make the topping, if desired. Place the heavy cream in a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla extract, and continue beating for about a minute longer, just until the cream holds stiff peaks.
- Release the cheesecake from the springform pan. Pipe the whipped cream around the edges of the cooled cheesecake, and top with fresh blueberries.
*This small amount of lemon zest is used just to bring out the flavor of the cheesecake. For a true lemon blueberry cheesecake, add the zest of 2 full lemons to the filling.
**Blueberry sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated (or even frozen) until ready to use.
