Blueberry Bonanza
A proper baked cheesecake in three glorious layers — a buttery biscuit base, a vanilla cream cheese filling, and a thick glossy blueberry topping finished with whipped cream. Aisha’s note: use ginger biscuits instead of (or mixed with) digestives for a better crust flavour, and bake in a shallow dish to avoid the filling being too thick.
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3 cups digestive biscuit crumbs (or part ginger biscuits — recommended) -
1 tsp sugar -
¼ tsp cinnamon -
½ cup butter, melted
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2 × 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature -
½ cup sugar -
2 eggs -
1 tsp vanilla
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3 cups frozen blueberries -
½ cup sugar -
½ cup water -
1 tbsp lemon juice -
4 tsp cornstarch -
½ cup cold water (for the cornstarch slurry)
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2 cups whipping cream -
2 tbsp sugar -
3 digestive biscuits, crushed
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Crust. Combine biscuit crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Press firmly into the base of a shallow baking dish. Chill while you prepare the filling.
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Cheese layer. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Pour over the chilled crust.
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Bake at 175°C (350°F) in a shallow dish — baking it shallow avoids the filling being too thick. Bake until just set, about 30–35 minutes. Cool completely.
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Blueberry layer. Simmer blueberries, sugar, ½ cup water, and lemon juice together until berries burst. Mix cornstarch with ½ cup cold water and stir into the blueberry mixture. Cook until thickened. Cool before spooning over the cheesecake.
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Topping. Whip cream with sugar to soft peaks. Spread or pipe over the blueberry layer. Crush the remaining digestives and scatter over the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Aisha’s notes
- Use ginger biscuits (or a mix of ginger biscuits and digestives) for a better crust flavour.
- Bake in a shallow dish to keep the cream cheese layer from being too thick and heavy.
