If you’re a cheesecake lover and have a preference for eggless desserts, then this Eggless Blueberry Cheesecake recipe is meant for you. This cheesecake is luscious, velvety smooth, and a nice balance of sweet and tangy. It’s easy to make, and the best part is you don’t need frozen or ripe blueberries for it; all you need is blueberry filling that you can easily find in the market. Its rich, silky smooth, and delicious, and the best part is it’s pocket-friendly. So, if you want to make an eggless blueberry cheesecake under a budget, read on for the recipe.
It took me a while to work on the Blueberry Cheesecake recipe, and I wanted something delicious but also within a budget. I live in a small town in India, and getting fresh blueberries is out of the question. In fact, I don’t even get cream cheese here, and these two ingredients are a must for a cheesecake and probably the most expensive to buy. Blueberries are pricey in India, and so is cream cheese, so I had to work my way around it. So, what did I do?
I made my own cream cheese that cut my cost down and making homemade cream cheese is an easy task. My recipe for homemade cream cheese Super Easy Cream Cheese. (Easy and quick recipe) All you need is two ingredients, and it takes hardly any time for the cream cheese to be ready. I love the way the cream cheese is just as good as a shop brought one and it costs less than half the price.
Now I didn’t buy fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries but bought a jar of blueberry fruit filling. I got 1 kg of blueberry filling, and it worked like magic for the cheesecake topping. I tweaked the fruit filling a bit by adding sugar, lemon juice and a bit of corn flour and my secret ingredient a little butter, somehow, I feel it makes a lot of difference to the fruit filling and it tastes delicious. So, the blueberry fruit filling that I bought was slightly sweet and I recommend you increase the sugar and lemon in your fruit filling keeping in mind the sweetness of your blueberry filling. The blueberry fruit filling was an ideal discovery for the eggless blueberry cheesecake topping. It worked beautifully and it was all under my budget.
The other ingredients used in this recipe are all household staples condensed milk, corn flour, fresh cream, lemon and caster sugar. Simple ingredients and delicious outcome.
COMPONENTS OF THE EGGLESS BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Biscuit Base: The biscuit base is the most important component of the cheesecake as it provides a firm and stable foundation for the cheesecake. The biscuit i have used is digestive biscuits as they are the perfect combination for this cheesecake, they are nutty and slightly sweet that doesn’t overpower the taste of the cheesecake filling or blueberry topping.
This biscuit is perfect for this cheesecake as it has a neutral taste and allows the flavor of the cheesecake to shine. For the base you need to crush the biscuits to powder before you use them and what makes them perfect for this cheesecake is that these digestive biscuits also have good binding properties when the melted butter is added. The butter I have used is salted Amul butter and I melted the butter and added a pinch of salt in it and gave it a good mix.
Then I poured it over the crushed digestive biscuits and patted them in a springform pan. You can use a spatula to press down the digestive biscuits drowned in the golden yellow butter, or you could just get messy and use your hands. Press the biscuit base down really well in the springform pan and keep it in the fridge till you make the filling for the cheesecake.
Cheesecake Filling: The cheesecake filling is the smooth, silky, and luscious part of the cheesecake. The eggless cheesecake filling is made without the use of eggs, and it typically relies on other ingredients to achieve the same creamy, rich, and luscious texture found in traditional cheesecakes. I have used homemade cream cheese, and it has the same creamy texture one finds in the market. I use condensed milk for the sweetness along with some caster sugar Also I have added some fresh cream the brand I have used is Amul and this is what lends the cheesecake richness and stability.
Now I have used corn flour to make the liquid in the cheesecake thicken and have also added lemon juice and lemon zest for flavor. Honestly, I didn’t add vanilla essence in the filling as I loved the tangy and fresh flavor the lemon juice and zest gave the cheesecake adding vanilla essence is optional.
Cheesecake Topping: The blueberry topping is the most delicious and important part of the Blueberry Cheesecake recipe; this is what brings the whole cheesecake together. I have used blueberry fruit filling which is easily available in the market and have tweaked it a little so that it tastes delicious on top of a cheesecake. There is blueberry filling along with cornstarch, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar vanilla and butter. I know you are surprised at the butter, but I feel the butter gives it a rich flavor and a glorious sheen.
TYPE OF PAN USED FOR BAKING EGGLESS BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
A springform pan is the ideal choice of pan for baking an eggless blueberry cheesecake. A springform pan consists of two parts: a flat base and a removable ring that can be unlatched and lifted away from the base. This design allows for easy removal of the cheesecake without having to flip it or slide it out of the pan. This is particularly important for delicate cheesecakes that can easily crack or break when handled. Another important aspect of baking an eggless blueberry cheesecake is the preparation of the pan. Double wrap the bottom of the springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. This is to prevent any water from seeping into the pan during baking. Make sure the foil comes up the sides of the pan. Do not forget this step or your cheesecake would be a puddle of digestive biscuits and butter. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but we are making an eggless blueberry cheesecake and we do not want a puddle.
BAKING THE EGGLESS BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
The cooking method used to make this blueberry cheesecake is a water bath method. The water bath helps ensure even and gentle cooking, which can prevent cracking and promote a creamy texture. To prepare the water bath take a baking pan that is bigger than your cheesecake springform pan. Place the cheesecake pan/Mould in the bigger baking pan. Add hot water in the bigger baking Mould and place it carefully in the oven. Let it bake in the oven for an hour @ 160 Celsius for an hour.
TIPS FOR AN AMAZING BAKED BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. This is what makes your cheesecake creamy and lump free. Please do not use cold cream cheese. If you want a smooth and silky cheesecake use room temperature cream cheese. It’s easier to beat and once beaten this is what will give your cheesecake an amazing silky-smooth finish.
- When you zest your lemons make sure you don’t scrape the white part because that’s the part that is bitter.
- Beat on medium low speed while you add your cream cheese, condensed milk and fresh cream. We don’t want to incorporate too much as air as that can crack the cheesecake.
- Don’t forget to add corn flour it’s an important ingredient and this is what is the main thickening agent. Also, it provides a lightness to the final product.
- Scrape the side of the bowl well so that you have a uniform consistency.
- Don’t overbeat your cheesecake batter that’s a big no no as it could lead to a cracked cheesecake. Make sure to beat everything in medium low speed.
- Make sure your pan is well prepared for the water bath. Ensure that your springform pan is well wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil. This is what protects the cheesecake from the water to seep in and make sure you wrap the aluminum foil really well. Don’t forget to add hot water for the water bath, the quickest way to do this is on an electric kettle. Switch on your kettle while you prepare the batter, and you have hot water for the water bath. Using luke warm or cold water will not help in cooking the cheesecake.
- Test for doneness with the wobble test, your cheesecake needs to wobble slightly from the center when it’s baked. It will slightly jiggle from the center and that’s when you know it’s done. The sides should be well-baked and shouldn’t wobble.
- Do not open the oven door to check frequently. Please be patient, opening the door of the oven too frequently cools down the temperature of the oven drastically and your cheesecake would take more time to bake and may even crack.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Use a food processor and process the digestive biscuits till they are powdered. Add salt in the melted butter and add it to the powdered digestive biscuits.
- Give this a good mix and press the biscuit crumbs in an 8′ springform pan. Press it down evenly and keep it in the fridge while you make the cheesecake filling.
- In a large bowl add the cream cheese and whisk it on medium speed, untill the cream cheese is light.
- Now take the fresh cream and add the cornflour in it to make a slurry. Do mix it well with a spoon it and now add it to the cream cheese. Use a hand mixer to give the batter a good mix and then add the condensed milk, caster sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. You can add the optional vanilla too. Give it all a good mix but dont over beat the mixture just untill eveyrthing is well combined.
- Transfer this to the biscuit base and make sure to smoothen the top. Seal the bottom of the springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and use at least 4 layers of foil so that the water doesn’t seep in.
- Place this cheesecake pan in a bigger baking pan and pour hot water in the bigger baking pan. Place it in the oven @160 Celsius for 1 hour.
- Once the cheesecake is fully baked remove the cheesecake from the hot water bath and take the aluminum foil out, let it cool down a little and then run a knife around it while it’s still warm, place it in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.
- For the blueberry topping – Take the blueberry fruit filling dump it in a pan and add the caster sugar. Keep the flame low and once the sugar has melted add the cornstarch along with the water (mix both these ingredients well before you add them) now add the lemon juice. Let it cook on medium flame for 5 minutes and then take it off the heat and add the vanilla, zest and the butter. Let it cool down completely.
- Spread it over the cooled cheesecake. Enjoy !
