Oh alright, one more slice: Blueberry cheesecake with crumble topping
A blueberry cheesecake tastes good at any time of year and can easily be made in winter using frozen fruit.
At a time when the New York and Basque styles dominate, this cheesecake version adds an interesting German twist with crumble on top and a slightly firmer texture relying on quark (which can be swapped out for Greek yogurt if you can’t track down this German dairy staple).
Anyone wanting to bake the cake with frozen berries should use them straight from the freezer without defrosting and spread them over the quark mixture. Otherwise the bake will turn out soggy, says German cookbook author Julia Bauer.
Too much moisture is a constant risk when baking with berries, so she has another tip: “Roll the frozen berries in one to two tablespoons of cornflour. This absorbs the juice that seeps out and stops the filling turning a grayish purple color.”
Three more bits of advice from the recipe author:
• The cake tastes best cold and can also be cut cleanly when chilled.
• Don’t cover the cake while it is still warm, and cover it only loosely in the fridge — this keeps the crumble crispy.
• The cake can easily be baked the day before and left to set in the fridge overnight.
Ingredients for one baking tray or baking frame, approximately 35 x 30 cm:
For the dough (base and crumble topping):
500 g flour (wheat flour type 405 or spelt flour type 630)
250 g butter, cut into pieces
190 g sugar
10 g vanilla sugar
1 egg (medium)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
For the dairy mixture:
500 g low-fat quark (alternatively Greek yogurt)
200 g soured cream (or crème fraîche)
250 g mascarpone or full-fat cream cheese (according to taste)
200 ml milk
190 g sugar
2 eggs (medium)
2 sachets vanilla pudding powder (38 g each)
10 g vanilla sugar (or the seeds of one vanilla pod)
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1 pinch of salt (omit if using cream cheese)
For the topping:
500 g blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom heat (or 160°C fan). Line a rimmed baking tray (approximately 35 x 30 cm) with baking paper, or extend an adjustable baking frame to 35 x 30 cm.
- Quickly knead all the ingredients for the crumble dough together by hand or briefly in a mixer until a crumbly dough forms — don’t overwork it.
- Spread about two-thirds of the dough over the tray, press it down firmly and smooth it out with your hands or a glass. If using a baking frame, make sure the edges are well sealed.
- Place the remaining dough for the crumble in the fridge.
- Stir together the quark, soured cream and mascarpone until smooth. Briefly beat the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together, then stir into the quark mixture. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and pudding powder and stir in. Pour in the milk and mix everything into a smooth batter.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the dough base. Distribute the blueberries evenly over the quark mixture. Crumble the chilled dough over the cake in rough crumble pieces.
- Bake the cake in the lower third of the oven for 50 to 55 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, leave to cool uncovered, then refrigerate for at least two hours — preferably overnight.
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