Purple Dawn is the kind of fresh, delicious zingy cheesecake you’d like to wake up to or spend the day with.  The blueberries sit atop a beautifully smooth filling of cream cheese, whipped cream and greek-style yoghurt zestily perked up with fresh lime juice, contrasting with the delightfully sandy-textured, optionally gluten-free, refined sugar free custard biscuit base.  Some of us are lazing around appreciating the last of the summer hols, so this recipe’s optionally no-bake, easy and fast to whip up.  Please try this absolutely delicious blueberry, lime and custard cheesecake!

The custard biscuit base

Okay, I don’t want to alarm you, but I did use homemade glutenfree custard cookies adapted from the Honeybuns recipe here.  I stored loads in the freezer months ago, which is why this cheesecake’s now no-bake for me.  Otherwise you could use digestive biscuits (Graham crackers) or try (glutenfree) shopbought custard biscuits. 

The Honeybun gf custard biscuits are very easy to make though, absolutely heavenly and totally addictive (I didn’t bother making the cream filling – they really don’t need it).  I made these ones with no refined sugar, replacing half of the sugar with pure maple syrup and half with ground birch xylitol.  The polenta (cornmeal) lends a lovely sandy texture and the custard flavour (make sure you use unsweetened custard powder) keeps you coming back for more.

THE RECIPE

It’s a very adaptable recipe developed after some not-very-arduous testing.  After several prototypes that seemed to weep slightly, leaking a little liquid overnight, I reduced the quantity of natural greek yoghurt and used more cream cheese and whipped cream (they seem to hold better).  If you use more yoghurt in yours (replacing some of the cream) it will be a little tangier and healthier.  Just drain off any excess liquid and serve your slices, which are still delectable and totally presentable.  Look, you can twirl the fruit with a sharp knife for some purple swirls …

Though I love this final prototype too…

Decadently smooth and creamy.

I made one prototype with fresh blueberries but they seemed kind of hard and strangely alien to the cheesecake.  Frozen blueberries that have been defrosted are softer, shinier and just merge into the whole dessert.   But it’s totally your choice.  You can even use other fruit instead, like raspberries or maybe sliced kiwis?

Timing

Day 1:  Morning – make cookie crust (15 mins) and chill in fridge 2 hours.  Then make filling and spoon into crust (15 mins) – chill overnight (or minimum 4 hours).

Day 2:  Top with blueberries and eat.

Equipment

I use a 12cm/4.7in diametre cake ring that’s 4.5cm/1.8in or 6cm/2.4in high.  And it’s lined with 6cm/2.4in wide acetate strip. You could use a different size of spring-form tin lined with plastic film or baking paper (which might not make the cheesecake so clean-cut looking, but will work).

Ingredients

Base

• 95g/1 cup fine cookie crumbs (crushed custard cookies, or digestive biscuits/graham crackers)
• 75g/1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted then cooled a little
• 85g/1 cup less 4 tsp ground almonds

Filling

• 150g/5.3oz cream cheese (Philadelphia), at room temperature
• 100g/ml liquid whipping cream (35%)
• 80g/2.8oz natural unsweetened Greek-style yoghurt
• 38g/ml freshly-squeezed lime juice (1 – 2 limes), to taste
• 20g/1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or sugar), to taste

Topping

• a handful or two of blueberries, to taste (frozen then defrosted)
• optional:  a little grated lime zest

Method

Cookie crust

1. Whisk cookie crumbs and ground almonds to combine then stir in melted butter to make base.
2. Place cake ring on a plate or cake base and line ring with acetate strip.  If using tin instead, grease lightly with butter or line with plastic film/baking paper.
3. Press crumb mixture in with fingers as evenly as possible to make a crust about 5 to 8 mm thick.

Chill in fridge 2 hours or so.

Filling

1. Whisk cream cheese (at room temperature), yoghurt, lime juice and maple syrup until creamy.
2. Whisk cream in separate bowl to soft peak.
3. Fold a little whipped cream into cream cheese mixture to loosen.
4. Delicately fold remaining cream into mixture until just combined.
5. Spoon into cookie crust, to the top.  Smooth with back of metal tablespoon.

Cover or place in airtight tupperware and chill in fridge overnight or minimum 4 hours.

Topping

If using a cake ring, push chilled cheesecake out of tin, from the bottom, and remove acetate strip (with a tin, just carefully unmould).  Top with blueberries.

If you like, insert a skewer 1cm into top and move around to create purple swirls.

Note:  you can create layer desserts (verrines) in glasses with any leftover cookie crumbs, filling and fruit.

Eating and storing

Eat as soon as it’s made (yum yum) or within 4 days – it stores very well in the fridge in an airtight container.

Yum yum yum… 🙂  Do have a slice of wonderful blueberry, lime and custard no-bake cheesecake.

Thanks for being here again dears or dropping by for the first time!  Wishing you a lovely week ahead with many welcoming dawns, happy baking and eating!  🙂  Lili x