Blueberry Basil Cheesecake
I read a post on La Cocina Diminuta not too long ago which I absolutely loved. Let me tell you why. In this particular post I read, not only does Inés share a great recipe but she talks about honesty as well. She very wisely states that when it comes to sharing recipes with the world, honesty is the best policy. And, you know what? I couldn’t agree more.
Let me be honest about this recipe I have here for you today. This particular cheesecake is not a breeze to make. Baking this is a pain the butt, actually. There are quite a few steps involved in making this and you will need quite a few ingredients too. However, with that being said, this cheesecake is probably the best cheesecake I’ve ever had in my entire life. The blueberries and the basil come together beautifully. The cheesecake itself is moist and rich, but not overwhelming. The crust has lovely caramel undertones you are sure to love. I can honestly say this will immediately become your go-to cheesecake recipe. It is that good.
Moving onto the unusual flavour combo here. Blueberry and basil?! Basil in a dessert?! Really? Yes, I was skeptical too. But, hear me out. You will only get a very subtle taste of basil in every bite. Your cheesecake will not taste like pesto. I promise. Although, pesto cheesecake sounds sort of interesting. Kidding.
When you’re making this please plan ahead of time as you will need to refrigerate it overnight. Good things come to those who wait.
I think that’s all I have to say about this cheesecake. Did I mention it is incredibly delicious and well-worth the effort already? Yeah? Ok, good.
If you’re feeling a little adventurous in the kitchen, give this recipe a try. You’ll be glad you did.
- 200g of coconut cookies
- ¼ cup of melted butter
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 500g of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- ¾ cup of loose basil leaves
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- To make the crust, place cookies and sugar in food processor. Pulse until you get fine crumbs. In a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with the butter until everything comes together.
- Spray your cheesecake pan with vegetable oil. Line it with parchment paper. Create an even layer of crust at the bottom of the pan using a spoon to tightly pack it. Bake at 350F for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool.
- Turn oven up to 400F
- Place blueberries, water and sugar in small sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Combine cream and milk. Microwave for 1 minute. Add basil to infuse the milk/cream. Set aside.
- With an immersion blender, puree the blueberry sauce. Strain. Set aside.
- Place cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, egg yolk and salt in blender. Pulse until you have a homogenous batter. No lumps allowed here.
- Remove basil leaves from milk/cream mixture. Add the infused milk/cream to the cream cheese mixture. Pulse once more to incorporate the milk/cream into batter.
- Pour cheesecake batter into cheesecake pan on top of the cooled crust. Add drops of blueberry sauce all over the top of the cheesecake batter. With a toothpick, create a swirl using the blueberry sauce drops as a guide.
- Bake at 400F for 7 minutes. Turn the oven down to 200F. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the centre of the cheesecake is firm to the touch.
- Go around the cheesecake pan with a plastic knife to separate the cheesecake from the parchment paper.
- Allow it to cool for 20 minutes before putting it in the fridge. Refrigerate overnight.
- Enjoy!
- If you want a more accurate way of knowing when your cheesecake is done, you can use a thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155F, your yummy cheesecake is done.
- When you refrigerate it, do not cover it with anything. It will not dry out. Promise. If you want to refrigerate it for more than one night, though. You do need to serum wrap it.
- You can freeze this cheesecake for up to 3-4 months. It's always nice to have cheesecake at home.
- Do not forget to separate your cheesecake from the parchment paper after baking. As it cools, the cheesecake will shrink. If it still has the parchment paper holding it back, the top will crack.
Bon appetit!
Thanks for the honesty, despite it being a pain in the butt to make, this cheesecake looks fantastic! I really want a slice!
Emma | Fork and Good recently posted Weird stuff & awesome cookbooks… | Thank Fork It’s Friday. Yum!
Thank you, Emma!
I want a slice too! Too bad it was all gone in less than an hour 
You’re such a darling!!
This recipe looks awesome (although when I’ll try it I’ll probably substitute the coconut cookies for graham crackers because I’m afraid I hate coconut!). Can’t wait to try it!
Inés recently posted Gofres de frambuesas. Yum!
Thanks, Inés!
It turns out great with graham crackers too!
Wow, this sounds delicious, what a creative recipe! I love the photo, too, the reflections in the blueberry swirls are beautiful and the composition is really lovely.
nicole (thespicetrain.com) recently posted Black Forest Trifles. Yum!
Nicole, your comment made my day – especially coming from someone whose blog overflows with stunning pictures. Thank you!
What beautiful photos!! This looks amazing! The idea of blueberry and basil in cheesecake had never crossed my mind, but what a fun combination!
Annie @Maebells recently posted Italian Meatballs with Ricotta and Basil. Yum!
Thanks, Annie! It really is a fun combination that happens to be delicious as well. Don’t you love it when that happens?
Wow, I have always wanted to try making something sweet with basil, but I have always been a bit sceptical.. I will be sure to give this a go as it looks and sounds seriously delicious!
Laura Curtin @ Incredibly Edible recently posted Coconut Flour Banana Bread with Dates & Walnuts. Yum!
I don’t blame you. I was skeptical too. I can promise you that this will be the cheesecake that will make you change your mind
Oh my gosh – these photos made me drool! This cheesecake looks amazing – and I’m completely on board with the basil! Bring it on!!! Please!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen recently posted Shrimp Scampi with Lime, Honey & Beer. Yum!
Thank you, Kristi!
Blueberry and basil are one of those combinations that you can’t believe you lived without. I love the way herbs that were only thought of as savoury are being incorporating with things that are often only used in sweets.
Teresa recently posted FFWD – Zucchini Blossoms. Yum!
Right, Teresa? Blueberry and basil go so well together. I am very happy we are all being more adventurous with herbs too. It makes cooking that much more enjoyable, don’t you think?
Honesty is definitely best….but so long as this recipe is SO WORTH IT (and it looks like it is), then I can deal with multiple stains and the feeling of wanting to pull my hair out.
Plus, blueberry basil. WHOA.
Joanne recently posted Chickpea Fajitas. Yum!
Thanks, Joanne!
This cheesecake is definitely worth the effort and frustration. Save me a piece when you make it, ok? 
Hey Anna, I just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award. You may or may not have heard of it before. I hadn’t until another blogger nominated me. Basically, it is a way for us bloggers to get to know each other better by answering some questions and then passing the torch. You can see it on my blog and it is all over Google. Great cheesecake by the way!
[email protected] recently posted Liebster Award. Yum!
Tori, thank you for the nomination!
I hadn’t heard of it either. I googled it as soon as I saw your comment. Haha! Sounds exciting! 
Haha…good on you for being honest about this recipe. But it doesn’t even have to bake in a water bath. So its already a win for me in terms of complicatedness
Yeah about that basil & fruit combination. I have seen it with other recipes this summer but I have to say I am skeptical or afraid maybe? You brought me closer to wanting to give it a try
Regina @ Leelalicious recently posted Rhubarb Simple Syrup. Yum!
Regina, you have no idea how much I seem to enjoy complicating things. I did bake it in a water bath first time around. It was a complete nightmare. The second time around I skipped the water bath and didn’t notice much a texture difference so now I just pretend water baths don’t exist.
Give it a try! I was skeptical too. I then had blueberry basil gelato and fell in love with the combination. Let me know how it turns out
I couldn’t agree more on the honesty part, that is why I always say if the recipe is an easy one or a real pain to get through. By using your recipes people put trust in you, that’s why they follow your blog, because they hope you tell them the truth. This cake looks great, and I think I will take the risk, since I’ve been looking for a good recipe for a long time now. Congratulations on the nomination
Thank you, Marta! You’re right. I think it’s a matter of trust too. That’s why I think people are now leaning towards food blogs more than ever. They want to see real people cooking real food in real home kitchens. I mean, I don’t want this to happen to my lovely readers…