Sweet Melissa Sundays - Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crumble Crust

I am super excited about this week's Sweet Melissa Sunday recipe because it was selected by yours truly.  In retrospect, I probably should not have picked something the required having the oven on for a long period of time in the middle of the summer (sorry SMS bakers).  Even though I started the cheese cake at 7am this morning, my apartment felt like an inferno.  But there is a method to my madness.

This particular recipe has alluded me for months.  If you read my review on Sweet Melissa Patisserie, you know this was the first dessert I tried from this fantastic bakery.  However, my first experience making this cheesecake was a complete disaster.  It was my first time making cheesecake and two major things went wrong - the top had a massive (and quite ugly) crack and water seeped into the bottom, which completely ruined the crust.  So when the Sweet Melissa Sundays baking group came along I knew that when I had my choice I had to make this cheesecake again to redeem myself.

I could not be happier with the way this cake turned out.  The key to making sure it didn't crack was to not over cook it.  I made my cheesecake in a smaller pan than the one suggested in the recipe.  So I started to check it for doneness after 45 minutes of it being in the oven.  I could have waited longer but I was super paranoid because I didn't want to let the group down.  To check for doneness, open the oven and give the cheesecake a little shake.  If  it sloshes around like it's liquidy, it needs more time.  If it seems a little firm on the outer edges and the center "sloshes", it still needs more time.  Your cheesecake is properly baked when it jiggles as one unit, like jello.  

A water bath is important when making a cheesecake to ensure even baking.  But it is equally as important to make sure water doesn't seep into the cake.  So make sure your aluminum foil comes up more than half way up the sides of the springform pan.  When baking the crust, I also suggest placing the pan on a cookie sheet to make sure the aluminum on the bottom isn't pierced by the oven rack.

Thanks to all of the SMS bakers that beared the heat and baked along with me.  Make sure to check out our blog roll to see how everyone did with this wonderful cheesecake.  And if you don't have a copy of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book yet, go out and get it ASAP.

OH - All this talk an I almost forgot to let you all know how this cheesecake tastes.  FANTASTIC!!!!!  I know I use exclamation points a lot but this one is worth 5.  The lemon flavor is just right and the texture is super moist and creamy.  The crust is amazing as well and provides a great contract to the creamy cheesecake.  I'm more of a plain Jane when it comes to cheesecake and normally don't like fruit toppings on it but these blueberries were just perfect.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crumble Crust

From:  The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Yield: One 9-inch cheesecake

For The Cornmeal Crust

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

5 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup coarse yellow cornmeal

Pinch of salt

For the Lemon Cheesecake

2 pounds (4 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the Blueberry Topping

1 dry pint fresh blueberries, rinsed

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Before You Start

Position the rack in the center of your oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Turn a 9-inchspringform pan upside down and cover the bottom and sides with aluminum foil.  The foil should come up at least halfway on all sides, so that the water from the water bath will not leak through.  Line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment cut to fit exactly.  Using nonstick vegetable cooking spray, spray the inside papered bottom and sides of the pan.

To Make The Crust

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Add the flour, cornmeal and salt and mix until combined.
2. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.  (I use a cup with a flat base to help me press the crumbs evenly up the sides.)  Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Lower the oven to 325 degrees.

To Make The Cheesecake

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl and the paddle.  Add the eggs and mix to combine.  Add the lemon zest and lemon juice.
2. Pour the batter into the prepared crust and spin gently to level the batter.
3. Place the springform pan in a roasting pan large enough to hold it.  Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.  Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the center is just set.  Remove the pan from the water bath and remove the aluminum foil on top.  Using a sharp knife, loosen the edges of the cheesecake from the pan.  Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature.  Remove the bottom foil liner and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours to overnight.

To Make The Blueberry Topping

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine half of the blueberries, the sugar, water and lemon juice and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining blueberries.  Let cool to room temperature or refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

To Complete The Cheesecake

1. Once the cheesecake is chilled, release the springform ring from around it.  To remove the bottom, slide two offset spatulas under the cake and transfer it to a serving plate.
2. Spoon the topping over the cheesecake and serve.

The topped cheesecake will keep in a cake saver in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  If you want to, you can make the cheesecake and the blueberry sauce ahead.  Store them tightly wrapped separately for up to 3 days.  Top the cheesecake before serving.