Wild Blueberry Cheesecake 🍰🫐
Ingredients
wild blueberries frozen (2 c.)
50 g light brown sugar (¼ c.)
1 small lemon
2 tbsp. corn starch
2 tbsp. water
Shortbread Crust
unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
light brown sugar (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
all purpose flour (¾ c.)
Cheesecake
2 eggs
cream cheese room temp (two 8-oz bricks)
light brown sugar (¾ c.)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
110 g heavy whipping cream
fresh lemon juice (2 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
wild blueberry jam (⅓ c.)
Whipped Cream (alternate cool whip)
225 g heavy whipping cream (1 c.)
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
⅛ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Wild Blueberry Jam*
Add the frozen wild blueberries and sugar to a medium sized saucepan. Zest the lemon into the pan, then add in 2 tbsp. of lemon juice.
Set the saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to simmer.
In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and water. Let the jam simmer for 2 minutes, then, while constantly mixing, stir the corn starch slurry into the jam. Continue stirring until the jam thickens. Once the jam thickens, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a shallow bowl. Set the jam in the freezer while you make the shortbread crust and cheesecake.
Shortbread Crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and sides of a 7" springform pan with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add in the brown sugar and flour and mix until you have little clumps of dough.
Press the dough into the bottom of the springform pan, slightly pressing it ~1" up the sides as well, and bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, start making the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake
Add the cream cheese, brown sugar, and corn starch to a medium sized mixing bowl, or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat the mixture until the cream cheese is completely smooth and free of lumps.
Add the two eggs into the bowl, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
Add in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste. Again, beat the mixture on low speed just until cohesive. Portion out 75g (⅓ c.) of the blueberry jam. Add dollops of the jam on top of the batter, then fold the batter a few times to lightly swirl the jam into the cheesecake.
Tap the bowl on the counter a few times to help remove extra air from the batter.
Pour ½ of the batter on top of the shortbread crust. Then, dollop the remaining wild blueberry jam over the cheesecake in the pan, smoothing it out to form an even layer. Pour the remaining cheesecake batter over the jam.
Fill a 10" cake pan, or any larger pan that can reasonably fit the 7" springform pan inside of it, a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tinfoil around the sides and bottom of your springform pan to help avoid the possibility of water seeping into it.
Place the springform pan into the larger pan, then place the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 70-80 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of at least 170°F / 76°C.* If the cheesecake starts to brown on top, gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top of the pan for the rest of the baking time.
Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. Once the hour has passed, cover the cheesecake and place it in the fridge to set overnight (at least 8 hours.)
Whipped Cream
Save this step until you're ready to serve the cheesecake. Add the heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, vanilla and salt to a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat the mixture until soft peaks form.
Top the chilled cheesecake with the whipped cream and extra blueberries. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
