Blueberry Cheesecake: hipster jar style, no-bake + gluten-free

Sue Maree P -

My hipster jar style blueberry cheesecake is a fun take on the traditional cheesecake this sweet and salty berry cheesecake is sure to be a winner. The cheesecake mix includes feta, cream cheese, cream, a little sugar and the zing of citrus. A drizzle of berry compote/sauce, this works well with cherries, blueberries, raspberries, or your favourite berry. Then finished off with a sprinkle of crumble topping that's also gluten-free. A twist on a traditional cheesecake that leaves room for your creativity, just my kind of recipe!

Two serving ideas

Option 1: Layers assembled in a jar Option 2: deconstructed on a plate* Check out my video for the full details on how to present. The jar version is my all-time favourite especially made a day of two before the flavours nestle together and are absolutely delicious.

A 3 part cheesecake that you can prepare in advance and have ready and waiting for your next dinner party or family dessert. I have made this with blueberries but feel free to use your favourite berry; like cherries, blackberries, mulberries, strawberries, berries you like or have available. My recipe has been adapted from an Ottolenghi recipe from the Simple cookbook.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Cheesecake

  • Feta cheese* – 100g / just under 1 cup
  • Full fat cream cheese – 300g / about 1 1/4 cups
  • Double cream – 130ml / about 1/2 cup
  • Castor sugar – 40g / about 1/2 cup
  • Lemon or Orange zest – 1 tsp
  • Olive oil to serve (optional)

Crumble

  • Chopped blanched hazelnuts or almonds – 100g pkt / about 1 cup
  • Unsalted butter (chilled and 2cm cubed) – 30g / about 2 heaped tbsp
  • Ground almonds – 80g / about 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp
  • Castor sugar – 25g / 2 tbsp
  • Black or white sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Salt – 1/8 tsp

Berry Compote / sauce

  • Defrosted frozen blueberries or fresh (or other berries) – 400g / about 2.5 cups
  • Castor sugar – 50g / about 1/4 cup
  • Sumac – 1 tsp
  • Orange shaved – 4 strips

Method

  1. SMOOTH feta cheese with a spatula in a medium sized bowl. If you skip this step like I did on the video, it's not a drama, you may just have a few small lumps of tangy feta, which I don't mind.
  2. ADD cream, cream cheese, sugar, zest and whisk with the beater attachment on your stand mixer (or hand held electric beater) until smooth and thickened. Cover and chill in the fridge.
  3. PREHEAT oven 180˚C fan.
  4. CRUMBLE – add cubed room temperature butter, chopped hazelnuts, ground almonds, sugar in a medium sized bowl and rub with your finger tips to rub the butter into other ingredients to form the crumble sandy texture. Add sesame seeds and salt.
  5. TOAST – spread on a lined baking tray for 10-12 mins until golden brown.
  6. COMPOTE/SAUCE – add berries, sugar, spice and orange peel to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, simmer for 10-15 mins until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat off then the compote will continue to thicken. Remove orange and set aside until it is room temperature.
  7. SERVE – 2 ways. Option 1: Jar – scoop a dessert spoon full of  cheesecake, then berries, repeat finishing with a sprinkle of crumble. Chill until ready to eat. Option 2: scoop a large spoonful of cheesecake into a bowl or plate, drizzle berries on top and sprinkle the crumble mix.

* Tips on how to adapt this recipe

  • No feta add 100g cream cheese
  • Swap hazelnuts for almonds
  • No sumac add vanilla extract instead or leave out