No-bake blueberry cheesecake
This light and creamy no-bake cheesecake is gloriously purple, thanks to the addition of sweet blueberry purée. The gingernut biscuit base is the perfect complement.
Ingredients
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú blueberries (frozen is fine)
- 130²µ/4½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú ginger nut or digestive biscuits
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 350g/12oz full-fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
Method
Grease a 20cm/8in springform cake tin with butter and line the base with a disc of baking paper.
Tip the blueberries into a medium saucepan, along with 50g/1¾oz of the caster sugar and the juice of ½ the lemon. Place over a medium–low heat and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring often until the blueberries are very soft.
Remove 4 tablespoons of the blueberries into a small bowl and set aside for the topping later. Continue to cook the remaining blueberries for about 3 minutes more, until the mixture is jammy and thickened and the berries have broken down.
Tip into a small blender (or use a stick blender) and blend until the blueberries are almost completely smooth. Leave to cool.
Add the biscuits to a freezer bag, lightly crushing with your hands as you go. Seal the bag and carefully bash with a rolling pin until they are reduced to sand-like crumbs – alternatively blend the biscuits in a food processor.
Pour the melted butter into a mixing bowl, add the biscuit crumbs and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the mixture to the prepared baking tin and evenly and firmly press the crumbs into the sides and base. The crust should come up to about 1cm/½in from the top of the tin. Chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Put the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining 80g/2¾oz caster sugar, vanilla paste and the finely grated zest and juice of the other ½ of the lemon. Beat with a balloon whisk until smooth and very thick.
In another large bowl whisk the double cream – either by hand or with an electric whisk – until it will hold firm peaks.
Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to fold the smooth blueberry purée into the cream cheese mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the whipped double cream until smooth. Spoon the mixture inside the biscuit crust and use the spatula or a palette knife to evenly smooth the top. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24.
To serve – carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin, remove the base lining paper and place onto a serving plate. Spoon the reserved blueberry mixture over the top and serve in wedges.