What I had planned was an apple upside down cake but my daughters insisted on a cheesecake. They work so hard these days, what with the schoolyear almost over and so many projects due. I didn’t have the heart to say no.
Adapted from a recipe in Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries, this cheesecake was baked without a baine marie (water bath). I retained the recommended baking temperature of 275oF but prolonged the baking time to two hours. The result was much, much better than my first attempt at baking a cheesecake — the sides were lightly browned and nicely textured while the inside was light and soft. I still want to make another improvement. Next time, I will line the sides of the spring form pan with baking paper so that the sides of the cheesecake will be smoother. Other than that, I’m sticking with Nigel Slater’s recipe.
- 450 grams cream cheese softened
- 1 cup all purpose cream at room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar + 2 tablespoons
- 4 eggs
- 1 and 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 can blueberry pie filling
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Preheat the oven to 275<sup>o</sup>F.
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Melt the butter and stir into the graham cracker crumbs. Using the back of a teaspoon, press firmly onto the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.
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In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and eggs until smooth (about 1 minute with an electric mixer on medium speed). Pour in the cream and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or just until blended. Pour into the crust-lined pan.
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Bake in a 275<sup>o</sup>F oven for 2 hours. Cool to room temperature then chill for an hour or two before pouring in the topping.
Above, that’s how the cheesecake looks after it has cooled to room temperature. It is normal for the cheesecake to shrink at the center as it cools. Don’t worry too much about it. In fact, it’s a good thing because it creates a natural ridge around the top of the cake to hold the topping and prevent it from falling down the sides.
So, all you have to so is open the can of blueberry filling and pour the contents on the cheesecake after it has cooled. For best results, chill the blueberry filling too before pouring it on the cheesecake.
