
Some flavor pairings are eternal classics—time and time again, they just work. Take peanut butter and chocolate, caramel and salt, and (of course) lemon and blueberry, a dynamic duo that gets its chance to shine in many of our favorite spring desserts. This bright and fruity combo takes center stage in this creamy cheesecake recipe, littered with blueberries and topped with an irresistible homemade blueberry sauce.
The recipe starts with our classic cheesecake, but gives it a fresh, fruity spin. To make sure the berry flavor is dialed in (and dialed up), we fold fresh blueberries into the cheesecake and also make a blueberry topping to spoon over the dessert. While it may seem a bit extra, the topping concentrates the blueberry flavor and only takes 4 minutes to cook (trust us, it's worth it). The lemony zing to balance out our blueberries comes from a combo of lemon zest and lemon juice in the batter, plus some pretty lemon slices on top to complete our presentation.
For the rest of the eye-catching presentation, pipe swirls of whipped cream around the perimeter of the cake and nestle a lemon slice into each one. Then spoon about 1/2 cup of the blueberry topping into the center of the cake and around the whipped cream. Reserve the remaining blueberry topping for serving. If you have any leftovers (unlikely, but you never know), why not use it for pancakes the next morning?
Tip: To help create picture-perfect slices, fill a glass with hot tap water, dip your chef’s knife into the water, dry it off, then slice. The warm knife will cut through the cheesecake like butter. Wipe the knife off after each cut, dipping it into the water as needed.
Did you make this dessert? Let us know in the comments below!
Ingredients
Crust
Cooking spray
- 14
graham crackers, finely crushed (about 2 c.)
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup
granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
Filling
- 4
(8-oz.) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup
(200 g.) granulated sugar
- 3
large eggs
- 1 Tbsp.
finely grated lemon zest, plus 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 3 Tbsp.
all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups
(6 oz.) fresh blueberries
Topping & Assembly
- 2 cups
(8 oz.) fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup
(100 g.) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp.
cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp.
fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
Whipped cream, for topping
- 1/2
lemon, sliced into thin half-moons
Directions
Crust
- Step 1Preheat oven to 325°. Grease an 8" springform pan with cooking spray.
- Step 2In a large bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, granulated sugar, and salt until mixture resembles wet sand. Press crust into the bottom and about 1" up the sides of prepared pan.
Filling
- Step 1In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer (or in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and juice, flour, vanilla, and salt until combined. Fold in blueberries. Pour filling over crust; smooth top.
- Step 2Wrap bottom of springform pan in foil and place in a large roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come up about halfway up the sides of springform pan.
- Step 3Bake cheesecake until center only slightly jiggles, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off oven, prop open oven door, and let cheesecake cool in oven, about 1 hour.
- Step 4Remove foil and refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled, at least 5 hours or up to overnight.
Topping & Assembly
- Step 1In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring blueberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer and cook, breaking up some berries with the back of a spoon, until mixture thickens and berries are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
- Step 2Remove cheesecake from springform pan and place on a platter. Pipe or spoon dollops of whipped cream around top of cake and garnish with lemon slices.
- Step 3Stir blueberry topping. If it seems too thick to drizzle, add a few drops of water to thin slightly. Spoon about 1/2 cup blueberry topping on top of whipped cream. Serve with remaining blueberry topping alongside.