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It’s National Blueberry Cheesecake Day!
Celebrated each year on the 26th of May, this sweet dessert holiday doesn’t seem to have much of an exciting history behind it, but it does offer a great excuse to whip up a batch of cheesecake brownies. Although really, do you even need a reason?
As a longtime New Yorker, I’m partial to a classic slice of lemon cheesecake. (Veniero’s Pasticceria and Caffe sells my favorite New York cheesecake, and they’ll ship it to you!) And with family roots in Maine, I think the addition of fresh summer blueberries can make any dessert a winner. And chocolate, of course, makes everything better, always.
These blueberry lemon cheesecake brownies combine the best of all of these worlds, creating a fun, fruity twist on the classic cream cheese brownie. Featuring a dark chocolate brownie base, lemon cheesecake swirls, and a sweet homemade blueberry jam, they’re sure to be a hit with family and friends.
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Brownie Tips & Tricks
This recipe includes a homemade blueberry jam. If you don’t have the time to make homemade jam, or don’t have any fresh or frozen berries on hand, you can use a store-bought jam to make your swirls instead. I’d suggest a high-quality brand such as Bonne Maman.
Don’t like lemon? You can omit the lemon oil (I’d suggest adding a bit of vanilla bean paste) and lemon zest and make a classic vanilla cheesecake swirl instead. You could also experiment with using another citrus zest + oil, such as orange or lime. LorAnn oils offers a range of high-quality, food-grade essential oils that would work nicely in this recipe.
Checking for Thread Stage
When preparing your jam, you want to make sure that thread stage has been reached. You can do this by using a candy thermometer, or with a simple manual test.
To test the jam manually, spoon a small amount of the mixture onto a plate and allow it to cool slightly. Place the mixture between your thumb and forefinger and pull your fingers apart. If the sugar syrup creates a strand, or “thread,” it is ready to use. If not, continue cooking it a little bit longer. (For more tips on measuring sugar temperatures without a candy thermometer, The Spruce has a helpful guide.)
Other cheesecake brownies you might enjoy:
Brie and Cranberry Brownies
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Nutella Cheesecake Brownies
And if you make these or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Brownies
With a rich chocolate base, lemon cheesecake swirls, and sweet homemade blueberry jam, these blueberry cheesecake brownies are sure to make any day better!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 16 brownies 1x
- Category: Brownies and Traybakes
- Method: Oven + Stovetop
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Blueberry Jam:
180 grams fresh or frozen blueberries (1 1/3 cups)
40 grams granulated sugar (2 tablespoons)
Dark Chocolate Brownie:
113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup / 1 stick)
200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
70 grams cocoa powder (3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 eggs
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
80 grams all purpose flour (2/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder*
75 grams chopped dark chocolate (1/2 cup)
Cheesecake Swirl:
215 grams cream cheese, softened (8-ounce package)
75 grams granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
1 egg yolk
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil, or to taste
Instructions
Blueberry Jam:
In a small saucepan, combine blueberries and sugar. Simmer over medium heat until berries have broken down, mixture has thickened, and temperature reaches 106° C / 225° F on a candy thermometer. Alternately, you can do a manual test to see if jam stage has been reached (see notes below). Set jam aside to cool while preparing your brownie and cheesecake mixtures.
Dark Chocolate Brownie:
Preheat oven to 330° F / 165° C. Line an 8 x 8-inch / 20 x 20-centimeter square baking tin with parchment, grease lightly with butter or cooking spray, and set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When butter has melted, whisk in sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about five minutes. Mixture will be thick.
Transfer butter-sugar-cocoa mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to butter-sugar-cocoa mixture, and whisk to combine.
Fold in the flour, followed by the chopped dark chocolate.
Set batter aside while you prepare your cream cheese swirl.
Cheesecake Swirl:
Add softened cream cheese to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat on high until light and fluffy.
Beat in sugar, followed by egg yolk and vanilla, and continue mixing until well combined.
Beat in lemon zest and lemon oil. Taste and adjust amount of lemon oil as needed.
Layering the Brownies:
Spread 2/3 of the dark chocolate brownie batter into prepared tin.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture over the top, and use a knife or skewer to swirl cream cheese into the brownie batter.
Drop teaspoonfuls of blueberry jam over top of the cheesecake, and use a knife or skewer to swirl.
To finish, drop spoonfuls of the reserved chocolate batter over the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Transfer tin to a wire rack and allow brownies to cool completely prior to serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
*For a fudgier brownie, simply omit the baking power from your batter.
This recipe includes a homemade blueberry jam. If you don’t have the time to make homemade jam, or don’t have any fresh or frozen berries on hand, you can use a store-bought jam to make your swirls instead. I’d suggest a high-quality brand such as Bonne Maman.
Don’t like lemon? You can omit the lemon oil (I’d suggest adding a bit of vanilla bean paste) and lemon zest and make a classic vanilla cheesecake swirl instead.
Checking for Thread Stage
When preparing your jam, you want to make sure that “thread stage” has been reached. You can do this by using a candy thermometer, or with a simple manual test. To test manually, spoon a small amount of the mixture onto a plate and allow it to cool slightly. Place the mixture between your thumb and forefinger and pull your fingers apart–if the sugar syrup creates a strand, or “thread,” it is ready to use. If not, continue cooking it a little bit longer. (For more tips on measuring sugar temperatures without a candy thermometer, The Spruce has a helpful guide.)
