I make - Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

This is my third cheesecake this year. Suffice to say I love cheesecake in all variations. This one, however, is the first with the biscuit base. The cheesecake filling is thick but turns silkily smooth when eating. I like the fact that the base is thin, just enough to carry the lusciousness to my mouth. The blueberry swirls are not just pretty to look at. They also brighten up the cheesecake flavor. This combo  is out of this world delicious.

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake, slightly adapted from El Mundo Eats 

Blueberry coulis
150 g fresh blueberries
2 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Biscuit base*
150-200 g gluten-free digestives, finely ground
30-60 g salted butter, melted

Cheesecake filling
300 g cream cheese, room temperature
100 g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract or zest
pinch of salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 eggs
185 g sour cream (or half double cream half yogurt)

First, make the blueberry coulis by heating blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a milk pan (small pot). Simmer until blueberries become soft and easily squashed by a rubber spatula and the mixture starts to thicken. I don't mash the coulis too finely as I like to see some whole blueberries in the cake. Cool the coulis while you prepare the cheesecake.

Start with the biscuit base by lining a baking tin  (24.5 x 17 x 4.5 cm or 9½" x 6½" x 2") with greaseproof paper and crushing the digestives to fine crumbs. 150 g for a thin base and 200 g for a thicker one. Drizzle in just enough melted butter to look like a wet sand. 30 g is enough for me when using 150 g of biscuits. You may need more butter if using 200 g of biscuits. Alternatively, you could use a muffin tin and paper cup case for individual cheesecakes. Whichever pan you use, put the biscuit butter crumbs in the pan and press tightly use a back of a spoon. Chill the base while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven at 180ºC.

To make the filling, beat cream cheese in a bowl with a hand held mixer until creamy (just a few seconds, no need to overbeat). Now add in sugar, vanilla and lemon extracts, cornstarch and lemon juice and mix for 30 seconds. Add in one egg, beat well before adding the other. Finally fold in sour cream (I used cream/yogurt mixture). Pour half the cream cheese mixture onto the biscuit base pan and spoon over some the blueberry coulis (up to 1/3) in small blobs. Pour the rest of the filling over and smooth the top.

Now drop the remaining blueberry coulis by spoonfuls over the top. Make swirls with a tip of a knife or a spoon and then gently shake the pan to even out the top surface.

Bake in a preheated oven (no fan) at 140ºC** for 38-40 minutes until the edges have set but the center lightly jiggles when shaking. Turn the oven off and keep the oven door ajar to cool the cheesecake for 2 hours (you can wedge a towel or an oven mitten at the door). Remove from the oven and cool completely. Then chill in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. 

*You can use a shortbread crust as well by combining 150 g flour, 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 90 g salted butter. Bake at 180ºC for 20 minutes, cool to room temperature before filling.

**I now bake at 130ºC** for 50-55 minutes to avoid the crack on the top.