Cheesecake is a perfect baking project for a lazy weekend. Come dinnertime (it needs to chill for at least 6 hours), you’ll have an impressive and rewarding treat for the blueberry lovers in your life. Serve it with a nice glass of bubbly or some tea. Cheesecake can often be intimidating for first timers. It takes some planning and a little time to make, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Follow along here for helpful tips and support!
Blocks of Cream Cheese Are Best
As a girl from Ohio, I always make cheesecake with regular block cream cheese. I never use the whipped kind. Block cream cheese is richer, smoother, and denser—all the things you want in a cheesecake. Lactic acid is added to whipped cream cheese during processing, which releases more water than block cream cheese as it bakes. This results in a grainy cheesecake. So save the whipped stuff for your bagels.
Why Soften the Cream Cheese?
Room temperature cream cheese is soft. It’s easier to whip, smoother, and combines effortlessly with the other ingredients. No lumps of cream cheese in the filling here!
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
There’s a time and place for both in the kitchen. Fresh blueberries work well in cooked recipes that have a batter, like this one, and also in cakes and muffins. Frozen berries are best saved for compotes, sauces and pies. Blueberries are about 84% water. When frozen, that water expands, breaking down the cell structure. As they thaw, the blueberries lose their crispness and become mushy. They also release their juice, which turns batter into an unsightly greyish-purple color. This recipe calls for fresh blueberries in both the batter and the sauce. If you’d like to use frozen blueberries, I have two tips:
Increase the amount of cornstarch, a thickener, by 1/2 teaspoon per 1 cup of frozen blueberries. For this recipe, that means a total of 3 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch. It will help thicken the extra moisture released as the blueberries thaw. Adding frozen blueberries to the cheesecake may turn it purple. It’ll taste delicious, but if it’s not the look you’re going for, rinse the frozen blueberries under cold running water (you don’t want the blueberries to thaw) until the liquid runs clear. Then gently pat them dry with paper towels. For extra reassurance, toss the rinsed and dried berries with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour before folding them into your filling.
How to Prevent a Cracked Cheesecake
There are a few reasons why cheesecake cracks. Here are some tips on how to prevent it:
When making the filling, it is important that you do not overbeat the eggs. It will incorporate too much air into the filling causing it to rise quickly as it bakes and then sink and crack in the middle. As soon as the eggs are incorporated and the filling is smooth, turn off the machine (or drop the whisk) and be done. Resist the urge to keep mixing! The next culprit is overbaking. Your cheesecake is done baking when the edges are slightly puffed up and the center is still jiggly like Jell-O. At this point, turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar. The cheesecake is left in the oven to finish cooking, set, and slowly cool. Then, it goes into the fridge to fully cool. This helps because drastic changes in temperature (i.e. hot oven to cold fridge) will cause cracking.As your cheesecake cools it contracts and if the edges are stuck to the side of the pan, cracks will form. That is why it is important to run a dull knife around the rim of the pan before unclasping the springform.
Water Bath or No Water Bath?
A water bath is simply a pan of hot water that surrounds the springform pan and protects the cheesecake from getting too hot while baking. Do you need to bake a cheesecake in a water bath? In my opinion, yes. It’s the best way to ensure the cheesecake cooks evenly and doesn’t crack. It distributes the heat gently, resulting in an evenly cooked and more attractive looking cheesecake. Technically a cheesecake isn’t a cake, it is a custard. Custards have eggs and eggs require a humid environment with gentle heat to properly cook without drying out. Without a water bath, your oven is very dry with hot and cold spots throughout. Enter the water bath. You certainly can make a cheesecake without a water bath, but it will cook faster, puff up too high or too soon, collapse, crack, and look uneven.
Wrap the Pan
Tightly wrap the springform pan in 3 alternating layers of heavy-duty foil. Springform pans do not have a tight seal and, if not wrapped properly, water will seep in and make your crust soggy. In the event the foil rips and water gets in, you can save your soggy cheesecake.
Wanna Change Things Up?
Great! Here are some ideas:
Berries: This recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but frozen ones can be used instead. Follow the tips mentioned above if doing so. Blueberries aren’t your thing? Try raspberries or blackberries. Save strawberries as a bright topping only—they tend to turn a muddy color and release too much liquid when cooked. Crust: Switch up the crust by using equal amounts of vanilla wafers or sweetened biscuit cookies instead of the graham crackers. If you’re feeling wild, try a chocolate wafer cookie crust. More toppings: Instead of the blueberry sauce, drizzle some chocolate sauce or caramel over the top before serving. You can never go wrong with a dollop of whipped cream.
Get Ahead of the Game
Cheesecake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert, mostly because it has long baking and cooling times. Both the Blueberry Cheesecake and sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. Just don’t spoon the sauce over it until right before serving. Victory for this working mom of two! For all you uber planners out there, cheesecake keeps well in the freezer for up to 2 months. To freeze, double wrap the chilled cheesecake (with no topping) tightly in foil or plastic wrap and place it into a zip top freezer bag. Remove all the air before sealing it tightly. To thaw the cheesecake, loosen the wrapping and refrigerate until softened, about 24 hours, or about 6 hours at room temperature. To freeze the blueberry sauce, cool the sauce completely in the refrigerator then transfer it into a freezer-safe zip top bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing. Freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, refrigerate the sauce for 24 hours or leave at room temperature for 6 hours.
How to Store Leftovers
Refrigerate leftover cheesecake for up to 5 days. Loosely cover it if the sauce is on top; tightly cover it if not. Refrigerate the sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Have More Cheesecake!
Lemon Cheesecake Perfect Cheesecake Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake Banoffee Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
10 ounces graham crackers (about 18 crackers)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds (680g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (208g) sugar
1/3 cup (85g) sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Zest from 1 lemon (about 1 tightly packed teaspoon)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (308g) fresh blueberries
For the blueberry sauce:
3 cups (462g) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup (104g) sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Zest from 1 lemon (about 1 tightly packed teaspoon)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup water
Alternatively, place the graham crackers, sugar, and salt in a zip top bag and crush them to smithereens with a meat mallet. Transfer the crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in the melted butter. You can also follow along in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer. A kettle is easier to pour than a pot. If pouring boiling water out of a pot directly in the oven is scary, it’s okay to add the water into the roasting pan before you transfer it into the oven. Set the roasting pan right on the stovetop to do this so that it’s a close and easy transfer once filled with boiling water. Turn the oven off and open the oven door about 1 inch. You can use a wooden spoon to prop the door open. Let the cheesecake finish setting in the oven until there is barely any jiggle left in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Loosely cover it with a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate it until fully cooled, at least 6 hours. The cheesecake will firm up and no longer jiggle in the center. Transfer the sauce to a medium heatproof container and let it cool a little on the counter for about 30 minutes. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until chilled, about 1 hour. Stir in the remaining 2 cups blueberries. Keep the sauce chilled until ready to serve. Spoon the blueberry sauce on top. Slice and serve. Did you like this recipe? Let us know by leaving a review below!
