Sunday 27 July 2014

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake


Here are a couple of facts about me:

- I rarely make desserts. I can't be bothered. They don't interest me enough. 
- When I do, you can bet money on it that it'll be blueberry-based


So, here's a recipe for blueberry swirl cheesecake. This recipe is seriously rich, and it serves a lot of people when cut into bars. You could halve the recipe if you like, but you could also be nice to your colleagues and take them in. Or eat it all yourself and feel sick for the evening...



Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Serves 8 - 12

(Adapted from BBC Good Food)

300gr digestive biscuits, crushed into a fine powder
140gr butter, melted
250gr golden caster sugar + 1 tbsp
150gr blueberries
1 tsp cornflour
900gr full fat cream cheese
4 tbsp plain flour
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
200ml soured cream
Zest of half a lemon

Heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Line a large baking tray (20cm x 30cm) with baking parchment. Mix all the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and press it firmly and evenly across the bottom of the tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and leave to cool in the tray. 

Add the blueberries to a small saucepan with 1 tbsp sugar. Mix the tsp cornflour to 1 tbsp water and add this to the pan, and heat gently, stirring a few times for the sugar to melt. Increase the heat and bubble for 3 minutes, until some of the blueberries have popped. Leave to one side. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with the sugar and mix well with an electric whisk until combined. Then add the soured cream, plain flour, vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Beat in each egg, one at a time, making sure everything is well incorporated before adding the next. 

Pour half the mixture onto the biscuit base, then drizzle half the blueberry sauce on top. Add the other half of the cheesecake mixture, then splodge the remaining blueberry sauce on top. Use a chopstick to drag through the blueberry sauce on top to create a swirl effect. 

Bake for 10 minutes, still in a 200 degree oven, then turn down to 110 degrees and bake for a further 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for an hour and a half. Then remove and leave to cool, refrigerate for an hour, and then turn out and slice into bars. 

6 comments:

Catherine said...

Morrisons is selling 500g of blueberries for £2 now. I bought some yesterday. Do you still have that recipe for the blueberry cake with frosting that you made for Helen's Big Lunch? What was delicious!

Unknown said...

well you should make more if this is anything to go by, it looks gorgeous and I love the swirlyness on top.. Gorgeous recipe x

roym said...

What kind of cream cheese so you use

Hollow Legs said...

Catherine - Great tip! i shall run over there now. That's very kind of you to say, it was this one - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1224/blueberry-soured-cream-cake-with-cheesecake-frosti I sometimes make it with half raspberries too, to great effect.

Belleau - thanks! x

Roym - usually sainsburys organic cream cheese, but you can use supermarket own brand or Philadelphia - it has to be full fat though.

Catherine said...

The price of blueberries continues to come down at Morrisons, they are now 800g for £3, I made some really good blueberry muffins yesterday from a recipe called Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins. It's a famous recipe from an old Boston department store. You can find it online in varying forms, but I used the one with 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla, some have more sugar and no vanilla. The muffins really showcase blueberries.

I am going to have a go at making 'your' blueberry cake.

Hollow Legs said...

Good to know, thanks.

Let me know how it goes - I would never deem to claim any baked goods as really, truly mine!