5packages of 8 oz cream cheese40 0z total room temperature
1/4cupheavy cream
2teaspoonsvanilla
1 ¾cupsgranulated sugar
2teaspoonslemon zest
3tablespoonsflour
½teaspoonsalt
5eggs + 2 egg yolks
Instructions
Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 F
In a food processor or with a ziploc bag/rolling pin, grind ~2 packages of graham crackers until fine
As soon as the crackers are fine, measure out two cups. Combine 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and sugar. Mix until the ingredients are all incorporated.
In a springform pan, press the mixture down with a measuring cup or other flat surface until it forms a very compact layer
Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes (or until slightly golden) and set aside to cool while you make the filling (the butter may slightly melt out of the springform pan so this is why we recommend placing it on a cookie sheet)
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees fahrenheit
Filling:
Beat the room temperature cream cheese for ~30 seconds until smooth. Add in the rest of the filling ingredients and mix with a hand or stand mixer until just evenly combined ~1 minute. Don’t mix too long as the mixture will get overly fluffy. Set aside
Water bath:
Once the pan is slightly cooled, wrap the outside of the springform pan with tin foil (to be safe we double wrap it) and butter the sides of the springform pan above the crust. Set aside
Place a roasting pan in the middle rack or the oven. Note: the roasting pan must be large enough to place the springform pan inside and tall enough to create a bath of water for the cheesecake to sit in while it is baking
Set a medium pot of water to boil
Baking:
While the water is boiling, pour the filling mixture into the buttered, cooled, foiled springform pan
Once the water is ready, place the cheesecake in the oven in the center of the roasting pan. Carefully pour the water into the roasting pan until it is halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes
After 1 hour 15 minutes, turn off the oven and open the oven to let out some heat. Then place a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it slightly propped open. Leave the cheesecake inside for 1 more hour
After an hour, remove it and let it cool on a cooling rack. When it is cooled, carefully run a knife along the edges and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge overnight
Blueberry Topping:
Add 2 cups of blueberries (these 2 cups can be frozen or fresh, the other 2 cups need to be fresh), ⅓ cup granulated sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium pot on low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, raise the heat to medium and cook for about 6-8 minutes until a jammy mixture forms
Remove from heat and cool until room temperature (about 20 minutes) and then add in the remaining 2 cups of fresh blueberries. Stir to combine to coat the blueberries
Assembly:
Pour the blueberry mixture on the cooled cheesecake. Spread with a spatula until an even layer covers the top of the cheesecake. Slice and serve.