Easter Sunday Part 2 - Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

No get together would be complete without dessert. So for Easter Sunday I decided to go for something tried and trusted, a Baked Blueberry Cheesecake. I made it a couple of Easters ago, I got the recipe off a man's blog, but for the life of me I can't find that blog, however, if I google all the ingredients it links back to Luscious Berry Desserts by Lori Longbotham. I've made it a couple of times since for cake bakes at work etc. and it's always gone down a storm. It's a hefty dessert which will serve about 12.

Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to GM8/230C/450F. 


Take 2 cups shortbread crumbs (about 20 to 25 shortbread fingers finely crushed in a bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter and mix into the crumbs to form the base.

Grease a 9-inch spring form tin, then press the base mix into the tin, covering the bottom and spreading slightly up the sides. Put the pan in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.


Combine 3 x 8oz packs cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric whisk. Beat in 3 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk, one at a time.


Add 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of finely grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of plain flour, 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix well.


Gently fold in 2 cups ripe blueberries.


Pour into the tin, place on a baking tray and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to GM1/4/110C/225F and bake for 1 hour, until the cheesecake is very, lightly coloured, but still wobbly in the middle, try to avoid the surface cracking.


Turn off the oven, leave the oven door open slightly and leave the cheesecake in the oven until it cools, at least 45 minutes. Chill overnight before taking from the tin. Allow to come to room temperature before serving. Lightly dust with icing sugar and serve with cream and/or a fruity sauce.

It's a very rich desert and it goes a long way of you have lots of mouths to feed. It's a dense texture, lightly lemony, you can add lemon juice to make it more so, with little exploding mouthfuls of blueberry. The base is a combination of crunch and soft. i would prefer a bit more crunch, so next time I think I will substitute cheesecake base favourites digestives for the shortbread. I find the shortbread makes the bottom a little greasy sometimes so I only add as much butter as I need to, to make a viable base, I thin digestives would help with this too.

You really do need an oven than can get down to the low temperature, mine doesn't, it's the first time I've made it in this oven and had to use the "S" setting as I have no quarter gas mark. As you can see it came out quite browned on top, whereas with my old oven it had a lovely pale top. It tastes just as good, but if you can get down to the right temperature it will have a much softer texture.

Hope you enjoy making it, let me know if you do.