Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Posted on July 8, 2013 in Cheesecakes, Desserts, Recipes | 3 comments

Growing up I was surrounded by ample amounts of fruit trees, bushes, and plants.  I can remember standing outside for what seemed like hours picking the plump blue purple colored fruit.  Papa (Grandpa pictured in the photo) would hand us kids a bucket and lead the way.  My sisters, cousin and I would always find the bush with the most berries on it, then race to see who could fill their bucket first.  A few berries for the bucket, then a few in our mouths, eventually we always picked enough to bring  Baba (grandma) to make into pies.  Of course we had moments of spilling buckets of fruit while waving our arms like maniacs shooing away those biting torpedo flies, but we always managed to still get buckets upon buckets of blueberries.

My daughter Elizabeth (she was 3 yrs. old in the photo) carried on tradition picking boo boos berries (Elizabeth’s toddler wording for blueberries) with Papa.  At the young tender age of three more berries found there way into her mouth than the bowl but the picking  process made for many yummy happy memories.

As a young adult discovering my own path in the kitchen I found that blueberries have a roll in other desserts.  This was at a point in my life when I really started reading cookbooks and understanding the in’s and out’s of recipes.  I dabbled in baking cheesecake for side jobs.  Nothing real fancy.  Usually a New York style with added fruit on top.  I was on a quest on finding a new recipe to wow my boyfriend (my husband now) back then.  This blueberry swirl cheesecake made it’s debut back 20 years ago and help to seal the deal in my husbands mind that he can see a future with me.  What more can a man ask for…a woman with a dazzling personality is huge in itself , but then you throw in she can cook and bake….hah… this is a no brainer! 😉

If you’re looking to make someone’s heart swell with love or just have a taste for blueberries and cheesecake this is a must bake!  This can be your new summertime love!  Cool, slightly dense cheesecake swirled with the satisfying taste of one of the best summertime fruits…blueberries!

Makes about 12 servings

Ingredients for Blueberry Puree

1 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 T. fresh lemon juice

Directions for puree

Combine the berries, sugar, lemon and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat (about 5 minutes).  Puree in a blender or use an immersion blender.  Cover blueberry puree with plastic wrap and let cool (quick way is to set the pan in a bowl of ice, stir occasionally until cooled).

Ingredients for Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 5-6 whole crackers)

2 T. sugar

2 T. melted butter

Instructions for Crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with heavy-duty foil. Combine crumbs, sugar and butter in bowl; mix well. Press evenly into prepared pan and bake 10 minutes. Cool.

Filling:

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

8 oz. sour cream, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 T. flour

Instructions for Filling: 

Beat the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until completely smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. At low speed, beat in eggs one at a time, then flour just until blended. Pour batter over crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan. Carefully drizzle/spoon blueberry puree over batter. Swirl knife through batter to marble-size. Place baking pan in the oven. Pour boiling water into the larger pan 1-inch up side of the springform pan. Bake 1 1/4 hours or until just set.  Remove springform pan from the water bath. Remove the foil; cool completely. Cover and refrigerate 5-8 hours or overnight.  Run a knife around the sides of the pan. Remove the sides of the pan.