Blueberry Cheesecake

It has been awhile!  I have not been doing much cooking or been very crafty lately.  Instead my focus has been on my camera and developing my photography.  However, this weekend we had family over for a BBQ and we needed to have some dessert of course!

I was a little nervous to try making cheesecake....it was a first.  After baking it, I was even more nervous as the top did not look like I expected.  Instead of being smooth and silky like you normally see in a restaurant, it was had a crackled look.  I have a bad habit of always licking the beaters when I am done mixing up something tasty, so I knew it probably tasted fine.  But I knew I wanted something to cover the top.

I found a recipe for a blueberry topping that sounded tasty, so I decided to give it a try.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake: (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens cookbook)

1 1/2 Cup crushed graham crackers
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Cup butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/4 Cup milk
3 Eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  For the crust, combine graham crackers, 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon.  Once mixed together, stir in melted butter.  Press mixture into the bottom of a springform pan and set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining sugar, flour and vanilla until combined (you should use an electric mixer).  Add milk and continue beating until smooth.  Finally, stir in eggs.

Pour the mixture into the crust-lined pan and make for 35-45 minutes.  It is done when there is about a 2 1/2 inch area around the edge the appears to be set when gently shaken.  Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then gently loose the edges with a small knife.  Cool for another 30 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.  

Blueberry topping:

1 Cup fresh blueberries
1/4 Cup water
2 Tablespoons Splenda
2 Teaspoons corn starch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

In a small saucepan, heat water, Splenda, corn starch and lemon juice.  Heat and stir until mixture thickens, then add blueberries.  Continue to heat until blueberries soften and mixture begins to bubble.

Cool mixture in refrigerator until chilled, then spread over top of cheesecake.

Fortunately - despite the look of the cake when it came out of the oven, it actually turned out pretty good.  My family members were impressed and that is all that matters!!