ROASTED BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

CRUST:

150 g   digestive biscuits, crushed

50 g     ground almonds

30 ml   brown sugar

80 g     melted butter

FILLING:

350 g   blueberries

30 ml   brown sugar

50 ml   maple syrup or honey

600 g   full fat cream cheese, room temperature

110 g   castor sugar

30 ml   cake flour

4          eggs

250 ml sour cream

30 ml   lemon juice

5 ml     vanilla extract

            few drops almond essence

TOPPING:

250 ml crème fraiche OR sour cream

60 ml   castor sugar

            few drops almond essence

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a 24 cm loose bottomed cake tin.
• Toss the blueberries, brown sugar and maple syrup and spread into an ovenproof dish. Roast the blueberries in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool completely.  Once cold – blend till smooth in a food processor.
• To make the crust – combine all the ingredients for the crust and press into the bottom of the prepared cake tin. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes, remove and cool.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C
• To make the filling – Beat the cream cheese and castor sugar with an electric beater until smooth, add the eggs one at a time and beat until just combined. Use a low speed on your mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly.
• Add the flour, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and almond essence and mix gently to combine.
• Lastly add 200 ml of the blueberry puree and fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Regularly scrape down the sides of the bowl
• Pour the cream cheese filling into the cooled crust
• Cover the bottom and sides of the cake tin with foil – make sure no water can seep into the cake tin. Place the cake tin in a larger pan and pour enough boiling water into the larger pan to reach halfway up to the cake tin (to make a bain marie). MAKE SURE THAT NO WATER CAN COME INTO THE LOOSE-BOTTOMED CAKE TIN.
• Bake in the oven for 55 minutes.
• While the cheesecake is baking – combine the crème fraiche, 60 ml castor sugar and a few drops of almond essence and mix until smooth. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and pour over the topping, spreading it into an even layer
• Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes
• Switch off the oven and leave the door open while the cheesecake cools completely in the oven
• Remove from the bain marie and leave in the fridge overnight
• Remove the cheesecake from the cake tin, place on a serving plate and decorate with fresh blueberries
• Dust generously with icing sugar and serve