Blueberry ripple cheesecake

Ingredients

• 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 125g (4½oz) digestive biscuits
• 150g (5½oz) blueberries
• 150g (5½oz) caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp extra
• 400g (14oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 250g (9oz) mascarpone, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp plain flour, sifted

Special equipment

• 20cm (8in) deep springform cake tin
• Food processor with blade attachment

Method

Unsuitable for freezing

Step one

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) and grease the cake tin well with butter. Crush the biscuits in a freezer bag using a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the biscuit crumbs. Spoon the mixture into the tin, pressing it down firmly and evenly.

Tip: heat the butter over a low heat to avoid burning it, as this would give a burnt flavour and an unwanted brown colour.

Step two

Process the blueberries and 3 tbsp of sugar in a food processor until smooth. Sieve the purée to remove the skins, place it in a pan, and boil for 3–5 minutes to achieve a jam-like consistency, so that it can be marbled into the cheese mix without sinking. Once thickened, set aside.

Why? Boiling the purée vigorously helps concentrate the flavour and also gives it a jam-like consistency.

Step three

In a food processor, blend the remaining sugar, cream cheese, mascarpone, eggs, vanilla extract, and flour. Stop processing once thoroughly blended and smooth, or you’ll add air bubbles, which cause the cheesecake to crack on baking. Spoon the mix into the tin and smooth the surface with a spatula or palette knife.

Remember: ensure your cheeses are softened before blending.

Step four

Drizzle on the blueberry mix and swirl it using a skewer. Wrap the base and sides of the tin with foil and place in a roasting tin half-filled with boiling water. Bake for 40 minutes until set but wobbly in the centre. Turn off the oven. Leave for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer to a refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

The perfect blueberry ripple cheesecake

For a blueberry compote to serve alongside, gently heat 100g (3½oz) blueberries with 1 tablespoon of caster sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the berries start to release their juices.

Did anything go wrong?

The cheesecake mixture is lumpy. You may not have mixed the ingredients well or they were probably not at room emperature before mixing.

The cheesecake has sunk in the centre. Did you let it cool slowly in the turned-off oven before chilling? The cheesecake split open when I removed it from the tin. You need to grease the tin well before adding the filling and run a palette knife around the edges to free the cheesecake before serving.

The cheesecake split open when I removed it from the tin. You need to grease the tin well before adding the filling and run a palette knife around the edges to free the cheesecake before serving.

The cheesecake has a rubbery texture. You may have overbaked the cheesecake. Next time check earlier to see if it has baked. Don’t be put off by a wobbly centre – it should be just firm to the touch in the centre with a bit of wobble. If there is no wobble, it is overbaked, and if a finger pressed in the middle leaves a dent, it is underbaked.

A Little Course In... Baking

A Little Course In... Baking shows you in close up exactly how to cream, mix and sift, quickly building confidence and skill. A series of irresistible recipes follow - nothing's assumed and everything's explained. Packed with advice, reminders, and help when things go wrong, it will soon have you hooked on the satisfying pleasure of home baking.

Try one of our other tasty dessert recipes, including other ideas for using blueberries in recipes, such as blueberry clafoutis and blueberry ripple frozen yoghurt