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Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

With its luxuriously rich filling and real-fruit topping, cheesecake commanded a relatively steep price at 20th-century diners. One bite of this classic provided all the justification anyone needed.
Martha Stewart Living, August 2007
  • Yield Serves 8 to 10
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Ingredients

  • Vegetable-oil cooking spray
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 16 ounces sour cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Boiling water, for roasting pan
  • Blueberry Topping Blueberry Topping

Directions

  1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap exterior of pan (including base) with foil.

  2. Stir together butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Press mixture firmly into bottom and 3 inches up sides of pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

  3. Make the filling: Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low, and add sour cream, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat until well combined (do not overmix). Pour into chilled crust.

  4. Set springform pan in a large, shallow roasting pan. Place in oven. Carefully ladle enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until cheesecake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Transfer roasting pan to a wire rack. Let cake cool in roasting pan 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from roasting pan, and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 8 hours (or overnight).

  5. Run a knife around edge of cake, and unmold. Spoon topping over cake.

Recipe Reviews

  • jayjohn
    19 Aug, 2012

    The topping is awesome. So much better than that canned stuff. I'll admit it, I didn't put the cheesecake in the roasting pan with water and it still turned out fine. I did leave it in the 'turned off' oven for half an hour.

  • J3ANA
    3 Jul, 2012

    Amazing. Had to make some substitutions since I didn't have the amount of sour cream called for on-hand. Otherwise, the crust with a dash of almond extract, the filling, and the topping were all amazing. Definitely an impressive hit.

  • MairiC
    2 Aug, 2011

    Excellent. This was only my second attempt at a cheesecake and this recipe is superior to the last I tried. The texture was firm and rich but light. It was restaurant quality! The only changes I made was I did not line the sides with crumbs, and I added a splash of Cointreau to the blueberry topping. It was easy, and a hit! will definitely make again, and try different toppings. Highly recommend

  • Yaksmuse
    27 Jun, 2011

    This is THE BEST cheesecake recipe! I made it for my husband's birthday and everyone LOVED it! After making the blueberry sauce for the topping and letting it cool, I added some fresh blueberries to it and it really gave it something extra-special......

  • JulietJas
    6 Feb, 2011

    Thumbs up for this recipe. First attempt at baking cheesecake and it was really easy and the everyone loved it. Most importantly the birthday boy (Hubby) loved it. The cheesecake itself was rich and the blueberry sauce was beautiful on the cake. Will definately keep this recipe and do other variation from this.

  • alicia_i
    14 Nov, 2010

    I would definitely recommend this recipe. It was my first time making it and it came out great. Everyone loved the cheesecake and the blueberry topping was delicious !

  • henna429
    27 Sep, 2010

    Absolutely a great recipe... I wouldn't change a thing. It was perfect and moist. I just wished I had baked it a night before so it could have firmed up more before i served it. But definitly tasted GREAT the next day. I will be making it more than once for sure.

  • AllAroundBaker
    24 Aug, 2010

    This was amazing.....i wouldnt add as much lemon zest in the actual cheesecake but otherwise this was by far one of my favorite ones ive made

  • AllAroundBaker
    15 Aug, 2010

    This was just phenomenal. The cheesecake wasn't too sweet, and the blueberry topping gave it the little bit of extra flavor it needed. Everyone loved it.

  • triciamillett
    1 May, 2010

    Truly one of the best cheesecake recipes I've made! Easy to make, moist and not too rich! Absolutely delicious.

  • ohhwoahhh
    7 Mar, 2010

    AMAZING! If you want crust all around, double the crust recipe and it's all good. The blueberry topping just completes it! Best cheesecake by far.

  • ohhwoahhh
    7 Mar, 2010

    AMAZING! If you want crust all around, double the crust recipe and it's all good. The blueberry topping just completes it! Best cheesecake by far.

  • Jmommy
    18 Feb, 2010

    Super delicious and easy! My family loves it. We don't have the spring form pan, so I just used the regular round pan. I only used the crust on the bottom bot not on the side. For the side, I made crust crumbles to put it on the side.

  • michaelsokoloff
    25 Oct, 2008

    If you're familiar with real New York style cheesecake you'll want to avoid this recipe. The crust turned out soggy (despite a double foil wrap) and it actually stuck to my best spring form, non-stick pan (so much for aerosol cooking oil!). The filling was too wet and had a slightly grainy texture. All in all, a very disappointing experience. The blueberry topping, however, was terrific! It disguised a multitude of sins.

  • thalvrsn
    28 Jul, 2008

    This cheesecake is wonderful and so easy! I especially like the touch of cinnamon in the crust.

  • sugarfrost
    21 Jul, 2008

    My family love's it.....super delicious :)

  • KatharineCherryOnTop
    20 Jul, 2008

    There are no words!! Great for entertaining... Everyone will love you!!!

  • pinkcoco
    29 Apr, 2008

    creamiest cheesecake ever! such a bestseller! i should've made lots and lots of 'em!

  • regina2
    17 Apr, 2008

    yummy soooooooooooooooooooooo yummy..