Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

It’s a puuuuurple cheesecake! Basically my favourite colour in the whole world in one of my favourite desserts in the whole world. Absolutely packed with blueberry flavour from homemade blueberry compote, topped off with whipped cream and more compote, all of it sitting on a crunchy biscuit base. Just so good.

An older version of a blueberry cheesecake on this blog was basically a classic cheesecake, with blueberries stirred into the batter. There was nothing wrong with it and it was in fact, really tasty but I wanted to revisit it with a version that would have blueberry flavour throughout, not just as bites of the berry.

And while many blueberry cheesecakes simply have a spoon of (slightly goopy) compote type thing on top, I knew for sure that I wanted the compote right in there in the filling, and plenty of it. Why a compote? Because frozen blueberries release a lot of moisture and can’t exactly be blended into a puree very easily without thawing. Cooking them down into a compote reduces some of the moisture so that the cheesecake filling sets properly, and then it’s easy to puree it so the berries really blend into the filling.

The compote tints the filling the most beautiful purple and the whole thing tastes explosively blueberry-like so you don’t wind up feeling cheated. Win win! Like this strawberry cheesecake, this one also takes longer to bake than a plain cheesecake. My hunch is fruit purees and compotes just lead to a heavier batter that takes longer to set, but since a cheesecake is best chilled overnight, a little extra baking time doesn’t hurt.

It’s super creamy, smooth and rich but somehow light at the same time. Very fruity, very very good. The whipped cream on top is….optional, technically, but it adds so much to the cheesecake, and if the surface is a little imperfect, whipped cream solves everything. Either way, make this today please!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

Creamy baked cheesecake with homemade blueberry compote

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Makes: 9 " cake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

For the blueberry compote

• 2 cups frozen blueberries, do not thaw
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tsps cornflour

For the crust

• 250 gms digestive biscuits
• 100 gms butter, melted

For the filling

• 500 gms cream cheese, at room temp
• 1/2 cup thick, plain yoghurt, at room temp (125 ml)
• 1 cup caster sugar (190 gms)
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, at room temp (see notes)

For the topping

• 1/4 cup chilled whipping cream (60 ml)
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 drops vanilla extract

Instructions

• First, make the compote because it needs to cool completely before you can add it to the cheesecake filling. Combine the berries and sugar in a saucepan and set on low heat, stirring often until the berries release a lot of liquid and start to soften. After about 5 mins, when the liquid begins to simmer, take out 1 tablespoon of it and stir it with the cornflour in a small bowl. Add this back into the saucepan (this omits the need to use extra water to dissolve the cornflour). Stir and let the compote boil for 3 to 4 minutes. When the liquid thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon without sliding off, turn off the heat and let it cool completely at room temperature. It will thicken further as it cools. Take out 1/3 cup of the compote and place in the fridge to decorate the cheesecake later.
• Now make the crust. In a food processor fitted with a sharp blade, blitz the biscuits until finely crumbed and sandy in appearance. Pour in the melted butter and let the processor run on low speed until the mixture clumps together.
• Tip into the base of a 9" springform pan and press down evenly and firmly, taking the mixture up to the sides of the pan as well. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 160 C.
• Make the filling about 10 minutes before the crust is done chilling. Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and add the room temperature compote. Blitz for a few seconds until mostly smooth. Now add the cream cheese, yoghurt and sugar. Blitz till smooth, but don't over beat the mixture.
• Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, letting the food processor run after each one for a few seconds. Once the third egg is added, let it run on low speed for another 5 to 10 seconds, until the eggs are completely incorporated. Again, don't over beat it because too much air in the filling will cause the cheesecake to crack.
• Pour the filling over the chilled crust and tap the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until you see the edges are puffing up and lightly browned and the center is still a little wobbly when you shake the pan. Check for doneness once at 50 minutes and then continue baking, since cheesecakes are finicky and could take more or less time in your oven.
• Let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door slightly open for about 20 minutes, then take it out and let it cool to room temperature for an hour and you will see the center has firmed up. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
• When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, make the topping. Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla together in a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer on high speed. Whip till soft peaks form, then spread onto the top of the cheesecake. Top the cream with the reserved chilled 1/3 cup compote (let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes if it's firmed up in the fridge). Slice and dig in!
• Cheesecake must be stored in the fridge at all times in an airtight container. It will keep for 4 to 5 days. It can also be frozen for about a month, as long as the topping is added only after defrosting. Happy baking!

Notes

*Working with room temperature ingredients is important to prevent cracks in the cheesecake. If your ingredients are cold, you will need to beat them for longer, incorporating too much air into the batter, resulting in cracks as the cheesecake bakes.

*I have a plain eggless cheesecake and while I haven’t tried a blueberry version, I think it should work like this mango one. Let me know if you try!

*I buy Delish brand frozen blueberries, available at Food Hall, Nature's Basket and Big Basket. Fresh blueberries could be used here too but the compote will need less cooking time.

*Prep time does not include chilling time.

Shop this recipe!

Check out a full list of my baking essentials here!

This post contains affiliate links.