Lemon Cheesecake with Fresh Blueberries

A short, and sweet entry today! This was made for a June Birthday, and I knew it had to be something that can also celebrate summer. What is better than fresh fruit? Although I had to buy these berries from the grocery store I cannot wait for the ones in my garden to ripen! We have so many, and I'm very happy about that. Last year we barely had any! It was very odd! Anyways! This cheesecake is incredibly rich, smooth, and zesty. The white chocolate ganache and whipped cream adds a whole new dimension as well. Feel free to swap blueberries for any other fruit if desired. Strawberries are perfect for Canada Day, but I would swap the lemon zest for orange.

Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberries
serves at least 12

1 cup crushed Dad's cookies or graham crackers
1/2 cup sliced almonds, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter.

Mix together the crumbs, crushed almonds and butter. Spread into a 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cool to room temperature.

24 ounces cream cheese, soft to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream *optional, but I find it makes it smoother
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
zest of one lemon

Decrease oven temperature to 325 degrees F

Wrap tinfoil around the springform pan, coming 2 inches up the sides. Place in a larger pan with high sides. I use a jelly roll pan.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the sugar and beat on medium-low speed for 5 minutes! Yes this may seem odd, but it dissolves the sugar and makes the filling incredibly smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down sides of bowl (after every addition). Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix! Scrape down one last time, and add lemon zest.

Pour the mixture into the pan, and smooth out the tops completely. By doing so it won't crack as much if you were to skip this step. Place the pan in the oven and pour in enough water to come up a little bit of the sides of the cheesecake. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate over night.

For decorating I melted white chocolate, and spread it across the top of the cake using an offset spatula.

Whip 1 cup whipping cream with a couple tbsp of powdered sugar, and pipe rosettes across the top of the cake in a circle. Pipe tiny stars in the middle, and fill with blueberries. Garnish the rosettes with berries and a little shredded coconut if desired!

Thanks for reading! Happy Summer!