Overview
Baked very berry cheesecake
By Amy // Posted May 22, 2021 // Category Cakes
What stands out about my Baked Very Berry Cheesecake is the texture. It’s smooth, moist and not too dense!
I also really like that it’s not that sweet and how the berries add a nice tart sweetness to each bite. The subtle hints of lemon come through nicely as well.
You don’t need to go out and buy fresh berries for this. I used frozen blueberries and raspberries, it still tastes fantastic!
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tips
1. Room temperature ingredients
Using room temperature cream cheese, ricotta and eggs will ensure that your cheesecake texture doesn’t turn out lumpy. In fact, if you use cold ingredients, you’ll find that the cheesecake mixture won’t even mix well. Another thing with cold ingredients is that it increases the baking time, this means you’ll need to adjust the baking time.
2. Equipment
When you prepare the base, it’ll be so much easier if you have a food processor. Other ways to crush the cookies would be to either use a blender or put the cookies in a ziploc bag and crush it using a rolling pin. You need a springform cake tin(click on link) with this one as it’s much easier to unmold. Also, you would need a stand mixer or electric beater as you need to spend quite some time beating the ingredients.
3. Use different kinds of cookies
Most cheesecake recipes use crushed graham cookies in the base. You can use a variety of cookies in the based, I used scotch cookies and added some cinnamon powder to the cookie base. Other cookies I’ve used are gingersnap, chocolate and marie cookies. It’s up to you and what flavours you like.
4. Prevent cracks
It’s very easy for cheesecakes to crack on top. It usually happens if the eggs have been over beaten or when they cool and contract. To prevent this from happening, you need to be careful not to over mix and to not skip brushing butter on the sides of the tin. Another thing is to not open the oven door when baking. Also, after the cheesecake has baked for 40 minutes, you can turn off the oven and leave it in there for 2 hours so that there isn’t a rapid change in temperature. If you don’t have time to leave the cheesecake in the oven, bake it for 50-60 minutes in total, then take it out of the oven.
5. Customise the toppings
Being able to use frozen fruit can help you use any kind of berries all year round. I used frozen fruit and the cheesecake still tasted beautiful. I’d love to use some blackberries or strawberrries next time. Other variations you could use are dried, poached or sauteed fruit. You can also try adding different kinds of zest and spices as well.
5. Make two small cheesecakes
You can make two small cheesecakes with the same recipe. Your two tins should be between 18-20cm and you would need to bake it for around 40 minutes at 170C (340F). If you have time and want to keep it in the oven so that it minimizes the chance of a crack on top, you can bake it for 30 minutes and leave it in the oven for 2 hours. See tip 3 for more information on cracks.
*Disclosure: The links to Amazon products are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
Line a 23cm (9inch) spring-form cake tin with baking paper. Grease the sides of the tin with some melted butter.
Place cookies in a large Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin or blitz in a food processor until they resemble fine-coarse crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl and add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press onto the prepared cake tin then chill while you make the filling.
Preheat your oven to 165C (330F). Using a stand-mixer or electric beater, beat the cream cheese, zest and sugar at a medium speed until smooth. Add the ricotta combine.
Beat one egg at a time, mixing well with each addition. Remember to scrape the sides and bottom regularly.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared cookie base and then sprinkle some berries on top. Bake for 40 minutes and turn the oven off. Keep the cheesecake in the oven for 2 hours to cool down slowly. This will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking on top.
Serve dusted with icing sugar and at room temperature. Keep the cheesecake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
Directions
Line a 23cm (9inch) spring-form cake tin with baking paper. Grease the sides of the tin with some melted butter.
Place cookies in a large Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin or blitz in a food processor until they resemble fine-coarse crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl and add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press onto the prepared cake tin then chill while you make the filling.
Preheat your oven to 165C (330F). Using a stand-mixer or electric beater, beat the cream cheese, zest and sugar at a medium speed until smooth. Add the ricotta combine.
Beat one egg at a time, mixing well with each addition. Remember to scrape the sides and bottom regularly.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared cookie base and then sprinkle some berries on top. Bake for 40 minutes and turn the oven off. Keep the cheesecake in the oven for 2 hours to cool down slowly. This will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking on top.
Serve dusted with icing sugar and at room temperature. Keep the cheesecake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Servings 12
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 263
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 14.2g22%
- Saturated Fat 7.2g36%
- Cholesterol 70mg24%
- Sodium 156mg7%
- Potassium 77mg3%
- Total Carbohydrate 29.8g10%
- Dietary Fiber 2.3g10%
- Sugars 18.9g
- Protein 5.1g11%
- Calcium 31%
- Iron 1%
- Vitamin D 4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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What did you think about my Baked Very Berry Cheesecake?
Please leave a comment and check out my popular recipes.
Do you recommend using a convection oven? If yes, my convection oven automatically compensates for the entered non-convection temperature. Does that work well?
Thank you!
Hi Jean, I haven’t made this cheesecake in a convection oven before. But, I’ve had success with baking cookies in one before. It should work well, would love to know how it turns out.