10 servings; 20 min preparation; 1 h 15 min cooking time. Chill in the fridge overnight.

Cheesecake has a very long history. Believe it or not, it goes way back to ancient Greece and the Romans, where it was a popular dish, although I assume that technology was a little bit different. Nowadays, it has become one of the most popular desserts around the world, as every country has its own spin on the original recipe.

New York cheesecake, as the name suggests, is an American classic that has been born in the 1930s and contains cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. It’s so silky and creamy and often it could be quite heavy. It normally does not come with any toppings, but of course I decided to change that and make it a little lighter and not overly sweet. So I made a blueberry topping that gives its own freshness and sweetness to the dish, but at the same time asks for less sugar. And because just a topping didn’t cut it for me, I put a part of it in the batter so that it could lift the cheesecake even more and have a great visual impact when you serve it.

Maybe you have noticed, but I have grown a little addiction to blueberries. They are so sweet, delicious and healthy, how can you not love them. As I mentioned many times, blueberries contain valuable antioxidants that will keep you young and healthy. So forget how much cream cheese goes in this dessert and focus on the positives here. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the crust

20 crushed maria cookies
150 g melted butter

For the filling

4 packages cream cheese Philadelphia
1 cup crème fraîche
7 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp lime juice

For the topping

500 g blueberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lime juice

Preparation

Cover the bottom of a 9 inch spring form with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C/350 degrees F.

Crust: Crush the maria cookies in a food processor until sandy consistency (or use a plastic bag and a rolling-pin). Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Don’t boil it, it will burn. Add the melted butter to the cookie sand and mix well. Transfer to the spring form and press well. Use the bottom of a glass to help you make a firm crust. Put the spring form in the preheated oven and bake for 8 min. Take the form from the oven and let it cool a little bit until you make the filling. Turn the oven to 230 degrees C/450 degrees F.

Topping: In the mean time make the topping by heating the water, cornstarch and lime juice in a sauce pan. When the liquid starts to thicken, add the blueberries. Let it cook until it starts bubbling, but don’t boil it. Set aside until you make the filling.

Filling: Mix the cream cheese and sugar in a food processor. Add the eggs one by one. Add the vanilla, lime juice and crème fraîche. Add the flour. Don’t overbeat the eggs, it will lead to your cheesecake cracking. Blend until smooth. Add 2/3 of the blueberries topping to the mixture. Mix with a spatula, don’t overdo it.

Pour the mixture into the spring form and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 min on 230 degrees C/450 degrees F, then turn the heat down to 110 degrees C/225 degrees F. Do not open the oven until the cheesecake is baked and cooled otherwise it will crack. Bake for 1 hour 15 min. After it’s baked, leave it in the oven for a couple of hours with the door closed.

Take it from the oven and cover it with the remaining 1/3  of the blueberries topping.Transfer to the fridge and let it chill overnight. Enjoy!