Blueberry Surprise
Blueberry surprise is the epitome of summer daydreams. It features a tangy, homemade blueberry filling nestled between layers of delicately sweetened, fluffy cream cheese and whipped cream, all resting upon a buttery cornmeal shortbread. Brace yourself—resist the temptation to engage in a fight over it!How should I measure the powdered sugar?Simply treat it as you would measure flour. Use a spoon to scoop the sugar into the measuring cup, then level it off with a straight edge, such as the backside of a butter knife or an offset spatula.Can I use a different crust?Certainly! While the current crust boasts the delightful touch of chopped almonds and cornmeal within its shortbread base, blueberry surprise also harmonizes beautifully with a more traditional graham cracker crust. Alternatively, you can explore the Biscoff cookie crust featured in this cheesecake recipe.
Ingredients
CRUST
- 6 oz. cold butter, cut into 1" pieces, plus more for pan
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c. cornmeal
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2/3 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. toasted, chopped almonds
BLUEBERRY FILLING
- 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 c. water
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 lb. fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
- 1/4 c. powdered sugar
WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 1/4 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
CREAM CHEESE FILLING AND ASSEMBLY
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. sour cream
- 2 tbsp. toasted, chopped almonds
Instructions
MAKE THE SHORTBREAD CRUST
- Preheat oven to 325° and grease bottom and sides of a 10" springform pan with butter. Line sides of pan with a 30"-by-2" strip of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, and salt. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer) on medium speed, beat butter and powdered sugar, scraping down sides of bowl, until butter pieces are no longer visible and mixture is smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Scrape sides of bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue to mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. (Cold butter will collect in paddle; stop and push it out with a rubber spatula.) Add almonds and mix just to combine, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer dough to prepared pan. Working quickly so as not to melt butter in dough, press evenly into bottom of pan. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool.
MAKE THE BLUEBERRY FILLING
- In a small saucepan, whisk lemon juice, water, and cornstarch to combine. Add blueberries and powdered sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is saucy but blueberries are still mostly whole, about 8 minutes.
- Pour into a shallow heatproof container and chill in refrigerator until cold, about 30 minutes.
MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium speed, whip cream, powdered sugar, and cornstarch until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING AND ASSEMBLE
- In stand mixer bowl on medium speed, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and sour cream until combined and fluffy, about 3o seconds. Fold one-half of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Chill until ready to use.
- Once crust and blueberry filling have completely cooled, spread cream cheese mixture on crust, spreading to edges. Spoon blueberry filling over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining whipped cream; sprinkle with almonds. Wrap entire pan in plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours before serving.
- Make Ahead: Cake can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!