Thank you, Stahlbush Island Farms for sponsoring this post!
With every cool breeze and chilled night, I’m reminded that summer is over. We’re into fall and I can’t seem to get into the new rhythm as well as I usually do. If you aren’t subscribed to my newsletter, you can get caught up there but suffice to say, I’m out of sorts.
I’m feeling connected to my grandma through baking. That’s where I see her the most. This last Easter she made a cheesecake (her least favorite dessert to make) for my sister. She made it with a decadent blackberry sauce. So, I’m bringing you her recipe today. Because it was just so very delicious.
Of course, I’m making the sauce out of Stalbush Island Farms Organic blackberries. I prefer the frozen over fresh because the fresh go bad almost immediately upon reaching my fridge, sometimes before. Not to mention, every single berry in the Stahlbush package is perfect.
So, we’ll use a few overfilled cups of their blackberries to reduce and make into a velvety sauce.
The recipe is easy enough in ingredients in method, but a few things are imperative so make sure you read the recipe all the way through if you’re new to cheesecake. Here are some of my non-negotiables.
- Everything room temperature. If you have even a slightly cold egg your batter will be chunky. That’s just what happens.
- Don’t overbeat the eggs. Mix just until incorporated. This could cause a cracking or sinking cake.
- Wrap your pan in foil before the water bath. It will just seep in. If you have a cakepan that’s larger than your springform pan and smaller than the roasting pan, you can just place the cheesecake into the cakepan and do the water bath around it. I think that’s the best option.
- When the cheesecake is finished baking, crack the door slightly and turn off the heat. Let the cheesecake sit in there for about an hour. This also prevents cracking.
- To cut, use a clean, sharp knife for every slice. I even use my kitchen torch to warm the knife slightly. It helps a lot.
The sauce is easy and simple. Very straight forward. The blackberries can be subbed for any berry. Raspberry or even cranberry for thanksgiving too. You can pour over ice cream, top a cake with it’s drizzle, add to the center of a sandwich cookie.
I’ll be baking a lot this fall. I’ve got a lot more of grandma’s recipes to master since she won’t be making them herself. But I think this was a great place to start.
Classic Cheese cake with Blackberry Sauce
It’s a classic cheesecake with a fan favorite blackberry sauce.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the crust,
1 ½ cups gram cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling,
4 bricks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
Sauce,
2 heaping cups Stahlbush Island Farms frozen blackberries
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice or water
1 tablespoon corn starch plus 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the middle rack and preheat oven to 350°F.
Make the crust, add the gram cracker crumbs, and sugar into a medium bowl and combine and then stir in the melted butter. Mixture will be sandy. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. Softly pat the crumbs down into the bottom and partly up the sides to make a compact crust. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and wrap the hot pan in piece of heavy duty foil.
Make the filling, with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla paste then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. Don’t overbeat the eggs, that can cause the cheesecake to sink. I like to turn off the mixer after the last egg is mixed and fold the batter together by hand to make sure there are no lumps.
Place the pan inside of a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust and smooth it into an even layer. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan up to a one-inch depth. Place in the oven.
Bake cheesecake for 55–70 minutes or until the center is almost set. If you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking. When it’s finished, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven in the water bath as it cools down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and water bath, then cool cheesecake completely uncovered at room temperature before placing in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
For the sauce, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook for about 5 minutes until the blackberries are masheable and softened. Remove from the heat and pour over a sieve. Discard the seeds and chunks and place the blackberry sauce into the same saucepan. Mix the corn starch and water together until smooth. Pour into the blackberry sauce and whisk until incorporated. Place over low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to slightly thicken. Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a few minutes while it cools.
Pour sauce over cheesecake and enjoy!
Notes
Cheesecake can be finicky! Be sure to read directions before starting.
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