Finally a day in the everlasting pandemic that we can celebrate- Mother’s Day. I don’t think there is any other human more special than mothers. And that has been proved time and time again especially during the current times. From taking that extra special care of the whole family, to being the pillar in dark times. There is nothing a mother can do, and I am so lucky that my mother has always stood by me in times of happiness and sadness both.
Doing a little gesture on mother’s day makes mum feel extra special. It may seem small, but I think this what all of us need- a little sweetness in bitter times like these. Now I know for a fact mum loves cheesecakes and berries. So I thought to beat the heat, let’s indulge in an eggless blueberry cheesecake. Love for baking is always something that my mum and I had in common. I am super hyped to see how she likes this cheesecake and how when you all recreate this and surprise your mother with this sweet treat.
Elements of Eggless Blueberry Cheesecake
Biscuit base
Now the base of almost every cheesecake is pretty similar. It’s just biscuits and butter. For our eggless blueberry cheesecake I have used digestive biscuits. I really appreciate how they taste super earthy and have seamless crunch. You can use any biscuit that you prefer. For the liquid element I have used regular amul salted butter. The reason we add melted butter is that all the biscuit crumbs can get evenly coated with butter and no dry crumb is left behind. You can either do it with a spatula or get messy with your hands and enjoy this therapeutic process.
Filling
Filling is my favourite part of the cheesecake. Its creamy-smooth and absolutely delicious. For this eggless blueberry cheesecake I also decided to make a homemade condensed milk and add that in for that extra smooth texture and sweet sweet taste. Now of course since this is a cheesecake recipe, I have used creamcheese. You can use any that you find near you, I love using dlecta or mooz. Next up heavy cream to add richness and stability. I usually get a big 2kg pack of rich topping and use that, but other brands like tropolite and amul also work well. We are also going to add in cornflour, vanilla and lemon zest.
Topping
The topping is what will make your cheesecake stand out, you can either stick to this blueberry topping or easily replace it with any other frozen berry or seasonal fruit. My mum and I are both a huge fan of blueberry so this made a perfect mother’s day treat.
To make the filling I have used frozen blueberries since they are easily available online. Adding sugar for extra sweetness and lemon juice to help balance the flavours. Also adding in a cornflour slurry which is just cornflour and water to help thicken up the compote.
Baking pan used for Eggless Blueberry Cheesecake
To make your life easy I suggest you invest in a springform pan. I have tried baking it multiple times in my regular baking pan in my earlier baking days. Only to realise that they are only a waste of time and effort. My cheesecakes would always get stuck no matter how much parchment I used or how well I would grease my pans. And often times i would have to scoop the cheesecake out with a spoon and eat it. Haha! Fun times.
So a foolproof and hassle free way of making a cheesecake is to always use a springform pan and not worry about whether your cake will demould properly or not. The one that I always go to is my 6’ inch springform pan. Leaving the link to the same to make your life easy!
https://amzn.to/3hnayZf
Cooking the Eggless Blueberry cheesecake
The very important thing to keep in mind while making a cheesecake is to always cook it in a water bath. This not only prevents the top from cracking but also allows it to cook evenly throughout. To make a water bath, take a baking pan bigger than your cheesecake mould. Add the cheesecake mould to the bigger baking pan. Now we are going to fill it with hot water and then set it in the oven to bake. The water in the water bath will allow even temperature to be maintained for the cheesecake and you will have a beautiful cheesecake in your hand.
TIPS FOR MAKING A CREAMY CHEESECAKE (BAKED)
- YOUR CREAM CHEESE SHOULD ALWAYS BE SOFTENED
This is a very very important tip. It is imperative that you use softened cream cheese only. This will make sure that you can beat your cream cheese very easily and thoroughly. This is important because this is what gives the cheesecake its smooth and silky texture. If you beat cold and unsoftened cream cheese, you will have lots of lumps in your mixture and you will never reach a smooth consistency.
- DO NOT FORGET TO ADD CORNFLOUR.
One very popular problem with cheesecakes is that their tops usually crack. Nobody likes a cracked cheesecake. One way to prevent a cracked top is adding cornflour in your cheesecake batter.
- DON’T OVER MIX
Just like most batter, overmixing is never a good thing while making a cheesecake batter. Rather than vigorously mixing ingredients in, it is advised to fold in the ingredients one by one. This ensures that your batter has some air and all ingredients get incorporated well.
- PREPARE YOUR PAN CORRECTLY
When making cheesecakes, a water bath is a must (read next point). And because we’re baking the cheesecake in a waterbath, you need to make sure you’re baking your cheesecake in a mould with a closed base. If you’re using a spring form, make sure you are using one which locks perfectly at the base.
- ALWAYS PREPARE A WATER BATH
A crucial part of baking cream cheese is baking it slowly and evenly. A water bath always helps with this. The correct way to prepare a water bath is to heat water on the stove and then pour it over the oven tray. If you add cold water to the oven tray and then put that tray in the oven, it will not do an effective job.
- LET THE OVEN DO ITS JOB
My last tip to you is to be patient and let the oven do its job. Cheesecake batters are mostly liquid and this is why they take longer to bake. Don’t be tempted to open the oven door again and again and sip on some coffee while you wait for the best cheesecake to get baked.
Other Cheesecake Recipes on the blog
Eggless blueberry Cheesecake Recipe
- 2 + ½ cups (250 grams) crushed biscuits
- ½ cup (113 grams) melted butter (salted)
- 1 cup (225 grams) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) corn flour
- 2 teaspoons (15 grams) vanilla
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) lemon zest
- 1 cup (306 grams) condensed milk
- 2 cups (380 grams) frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup (55 grams) sugar
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons (5 grams) corn flour
- 3 tablespoons (44 grams) water
- Instructions:
- In a food process add the biscuits and process them until fully crushed. Transfer to a large bowl. Add melted butter and combine using a spatula.
- Transfer the biscuit crumbs into a 6’ inch springform pan and press down evenly. Set it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- In a large bowl add cream cheese, use an electric whisk and smoothen the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl add heavy cream and cornflour and mix until fully combined. Transfer this mix into the cream cheese bowl and add vanilla, lemon zest and condensed milk.
- Mix the batter using an electric whisk until completely smooth transfer this on top of the biscuit base. Seal the bottom of the springform pan with two layers of aluminum foil so nothing leaks out.
- Set the springform pan in a bigger baking dish with hot water creating a water bath.
- Put the cheesecake to bake in a preheated oven @160 celsius for about 1 hour.
- Once baked fully run a knife around the edges while the cheesecake is still warm. Transfer the cheesecake into the fridge to cool for about 4-6 hours.
- For the blueberry compote- tanfer the blueberries to a heavy bottomed saucepan with sugar and lemon juice. Cook until the sugar melts and then add in the cornflour slurry.
- Cook the filling until it comes to a slight boil and thickens up. Set aside and allow it to cool completely before transferring it over our cheesecake and spreading evenly.
- Slice and enjoy!
If you like this recipe and end up making it on Mother’s Day, do share your creations on Instagram / Facebook using #Bakewithshivesh.
Sneh Kriti Singh says
Can this be made in microwave ???
Simi says
Hello Shivesh the cheese layer is wobbly. Not sure why. I have put it back in for 15 mins without the bath
Manjirisfoods says
Wow what a wonderful recipe for Mother’s day celebrations..
1. https://www.manjirisfoods.in/2021/04/rice-cutlet-left-over-rice-cutlet.html
2. https://www.manjirisfoods.in/2021/03/rava-idli-and-coconut-chutney.html
Sam says
Can I use Amul fresh cream instead of heavy cream?
Souratn jain says
Can you share cooking steps with picture reference
Soul Treat says
This cake looks good and tastes even better. Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe. With minimalist ingredient list it is easy to prepare and perfect for any occasion. You can also check our premium cakes in bangalore which are delicious and healthy as they are gluten free, sugar free, eggless and baked in olive oil.
Lalita says
Hi can you give an 8″ cheesecake recipe and bake time