Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cheesecake
This lemon blueberry crumb cheesecake will be the spotlight of your spring table – it’s a fresh twist on a classic pairing of lemon and blueberries that everyone loves!
A creamy cheesecake bursting with bright but delicate lemon flavor then adorned with a jammy layer of blueberries and finished with a cinnamon-flavored, cookie-like crumble. Who could resist?!
Enjoy this cheesecake as is or with a dollop of cool whip for an extra component of creaminess!
ingredients for the best
lemon blueberry crumb cheesecake
- Lemon zest. For true lemon flavor, this recipe uses only the zest of a ripe lemon. The zest hold essential oils which impart the delicate lemon flavor throughout the cheesecake
- Blueberry reduction. Blueberries complement lemon flavors beautifully. Either fresh or frozen blueberries work for this recipe but frozen berries will release more water so you may have to compensate by allowing it to reduce for an extra 3-5 minutes.
- Cream cheese. Creamy cheese with a considerable amount of fat to carry flavor as well as moisture to give a soft and creamy dessert.
- Granulated sugar. Acts a vehicle to carry the lemons’ true flavor and the sweetness balances out the bitterness that can accompany citrus zest while also enhancing the flavor of the cream cheese
- Eggs. Acts as a binding agent for all the ingredients, ensuring that fats don’t separate out and make an oily mess during baking.
- Sour cream. Adds more fat and a slight tangy flavor to complement the cream cheese without being too overpowering
- All-purpose flour. Helps to bind all the ingredients together while absorbing a little moisture and gives the final product a subtle cloud-like texture. Also used in our crumb topping as a base.
- Heavy cream. Cream cheese has a very distinct tart flavor and lemon zest can have some bitterness – heavy cream helps to balance these flavors with a neutral creaminess.
- Butter. Used in the crumb topping to soften the texture slightly and give it flavor along with the granulated & brown sugar.
tips for the best lemon blueberry crumb cheesecake
- Use a springform pan for easy release.
- Use an oven thermometer. I recommend one for all baking recipes – especially if you have an older or gas oven. There can be hot spots within your oven or your oven’s readings may simply be off. Using an oven thermometer takes out the guess work to ensure your cheesecake isn’t underdone.
Also, for the crumb topping, if the oven’s temperature is too low, the butter melts before the flour cooks resulting in a melted crumb topping without any texture. - Don’t skip rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar. This a crucial step as the friction helps to release the essential oil that carries the lemon flavor and aroma. Lemon juice isn’t used in this recipe as that would impart more of a sour flavor instead of a lemony one. Think “zest for flavor, juice for sour”!
- Bake in a water bath! Water baths are my preferred method of preparing cheesecakes. It bakes it evenly and slowly resulting in the smoothest texture throughout and a pristine top without cracks
- Spoon your blueberry reduction evenly and gently in an even layer across the cheesecake batter. Do NOT pour it on. The goal is to keep the weight that we apply even across the top of the cheesecake so that the fruit and/or cheesecake don’t sink in the center once baked.
more tips & tricks!
- Opt for oven bags instead of foil to seal your springform pan. The bags are seamless and offer a continuous seal to prevent water from leaking into your cheesecake.
- Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl after creaming cream cheese and sugar to make sure everything is incorporated and to avoid lumps in your batter
- Mix your batter only until it is smooth to avoid incorporating too much air which can cause your cheesecake to overflow during baking or sink after baking is done.
- Allow for at lest an inch of space between the edge of your springform pan and the second (satué) pan for your water bath. Not leaving enough space can defeat the purpose of the water bath in the first place – there needs to be enough water circulating around springform pan to encourage even baking.
- Once baked the cheesecake should feel spongy, but still jiggle when the pan it tapped. It should resemble the jiggle of nicely set Jell-o. If your cheesecake jiggle resembles a waterbed it is still underdone.
- If you plan on transferring your cheesecake to a cake stand, add in a parchment circle to the bottom of the pan before baking for an easy transfer without having to flip the cheesecake or break or crumble the graham cracker crust.
- If you live on the wild side and opt to flip your cheesecake to transfer onto a stand (or to release from a regular, non-springform pan), I recommend having it in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours of its resting time. This way it will not be too soft to manipulate. You can also slice your cheesecake while it is frozen as for a crisp, non-messy cut.
Leave it out at room temperature for about 45 minutes to an hour to soften prior to serving.
Servings: 12 slices
Equipment
- 1 9-inch springform pan
- 1 zester or fine grater
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 stand mixer with bowl
- 1 baking sheet/tray optional – only needed if you decide to bake your crumb topping separately.
Ingredients
Blueberry Reduction
- 18 oz blueberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup + 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cool do NOT melt
- 2 TBSP granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark both work in this recipe
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt about ⅛ tsp
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 sheets graham crackers, crushed
- 4 ½ TBSP unsalted butter, melted
- 4 TBSP granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese 3 blocks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ TBSP heavy cream
- 3 large lemons, zested
Instructions
Blueberry Reduction
- Combine blueberries and granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. You may smash some of the blueberries to help release some of the juices.Stir occasionally until your blueberries have started to release some juice to ensure the sugar does not settle at the bottom and burn.
- Once mixture thats to bubble, turn down heat to medium-low and allow to reduce for 10-15 minutes until it resembles a chunky syrup.You may cover your saucepan at this stage but it is not required. If the reduction starts to spit the heat is too high.
- Allow to cool and set aside for cheesecake assembly.
Crumb Topping
- Combine all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon & salt) in a small mixing bowl and stir with a spoon or your hand to evenly disperse ingredients.
- Add butter by rubbing in with your hands until the mixture mostly resembles sand or breadcrumbs but leave some larger chunks.
- Refrigerate until ready to use for cheesecake assembly.
Graham Cracker Crust
- Combine all the ingredients (crushed graham crackers, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon) in a small bowl and mix until everything is incorporated and there are no dry graham cracker spots.
- Prepare a springform pan by spraying with baking spray and then, using something with a flat surface (I used a measuring cup), press the graham crackers into the bottom of the pan evenly.
- Prepare for the water bath by placing the springform pan into an oven bag, folding the bag over on the sides as necessary then use kitchen twine to secure the bag as close to the rim of the springform pan to avoid water getting in.
- Set aside and prepare cheesecake filling
Lemon Cheesecake Filling & Assembly
- Preheat oven to 270℉
- Add sugar and the zest from the 3 lemons to the mixing bowl. Rub the zest and sugar together thoroughly for about 2 minutes to release the flavor. The sugar should look "wet" when done.
- Add cream cheese to the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl then add all the other ingredients (eggs, sour cream, all-purpose flour and heavy cream) and beat on medium speed again until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan with the graham cracker crust.
- Carefully spoon the blueberry reduction made earlier in an even layer across the stop of the cheesecake. Be sure to spread the blueberries across the entire cheesecake up to the edges.
- Repeat the previous step with the crumb topping.
- Place your filled springform pan in the sauté pan (or your pan of choice for the water bath) and carefully fill the sauté pan with hot water up to half-way up the sides of the springform pan.
- Place the cheesecake and water bath in the oven on the middle rack and allow to bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes. The cheesecake should only barely jiggle (see post).
- Turn the oven up to 300℉ for 10 minutes for crumb topping to to brown
- Turn the oven off and allow cheesecake to remain inside until the oven the cooled (about an hour).
- Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- Remove from springform pan and serve! Store any leftovers in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
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