Layered Blueberry Cheesecake Food

TRIPLE-LAYERED BERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Butter and line the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin. Blitz the digestives in a food processor until you get fine crumbs, or bash in a sandwich bag with a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted butter until it looks like damp sand. Tip into the prepared tin, and smooth the mixture with the back of a spoon to make an even base, then chill.
• Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. Put the raspberries in a food processor or in a jug using a stick blender, and blitz to a smooth purée. Sieve out the seeds. Warm the raspberry sauce in a small pan with 1 tbsp sugar until just starting to steam, then pour over 1 drained gelatine leaf in a bowl and stir to dissolve.
• Blitz 3 (about 65g) of the strawberries in a food processor, and warm through with 1 tbsp sugar in the same way. Tip into a bowl and stir in the other drained gelatine leaf.
• Whisk the soft cheese, cream and caster sugar until it just starts to thicken. Divide between three bowls (about 260g per bowl). Fold the strawberry purée into one with a few drops of food colouring to make it light pink, the raspberry mix with the gelatine into another with more food colouring so it's dark pink, and the vanilla bean paste into the third.
• Spoon the raspberry filling over the biscuit base, smoothing the surface so it's flat. Next, add the strawberry filling, gently smoothing over without disturbing the bottom layer, then repeat with the vanilla mixture, using a clean spoon to level the top. A spatula or knife might help with this to keep from dragging the below layers. Chill for 4 hrs or overnight.
• Run a knife around the sides of the cake tin between the cheesecake and the parchment, and loosen the base. Transfer to a cake stand, and smooth the sides, using a palette knife, to neaten the layers. Mix the chocolate with a few drops of lemon extract, if using. Pile the remaining strawberries, some sliced, some whole, on top, and drizzle over the chocolate to finish.

LAYERED BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make Crust: Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and honey. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 9"x13" pan.
• Filling: Beat butter, cream cheese and icing sugar together until fluffy. Spread over crust.
• Jello: Sprinkle 2 packages of gelatin over 1/4 c cold water. Let sit until softened.
• Stir in 1 c boiling water until gelatin is dissolved.
• Stir in 1 c grape juice concentrate.
• Add 4 c frozen blueberries.
• Spread as a layer over cream cheese.
• Put in fridge until set.
• Whip cream and spread over jello fruit layer.

BLUEBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a 20 x 30cm rectangular tin with baking parchment. Put the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the butter and blitz again to combine. Tip into the tin, press down firmly with the back of a spoon to cover the base, then bake for 10 mins. Leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, tip 25g of the sugar and the blueberries into a small pan. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water and add this to the pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bubble for 1-2 mins until saucy. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk the cream cheese with an electric hand-held whisk until smooth. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again. Add the flour, vanilla, eggs and soured cream, and whisk until smooth and well combined.
• Pour half the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base, then spoon half the blueberry sauce on top in small blobs. Cover with the remaining cheesecake mix and smooth the surface with a spatula. Drizzle the remaining blueberry sauce over the top, then use the end of the spoon to ripple it into the cheesecake. Bake for 10 mins, then lower the heat to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼ and bake for a further 30 mins. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hr, then leave for 1 hr more with the door ajar. Finally, leave at room temperature until completely cool, then chill for at least 3 hrs or, even better, overnight. Slice into 14 bars. Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY LAYERED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
• For the blueberry layer: Stir the preserves and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in the lime zest and juice. Set aside.
• For the cheesecake layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl between additions. Add the lime juice and vanilla and beat to combine. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and set aside.
• For the red velvet layer: Beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at and time, scraping the bowl between each addition. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is lightened, about 1 minute. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix on medium until there are no clumps of cocoa powder. Add the food dye and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and give a final stir by hand.
• To assemble the cake: Spread the red velvet batter evenly into the prepared pan. Pipe or pour the cheesecake batter on top of the cake batter, spreading it evenly. Using a piping bag or resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off, gently pipe the blueberry filling on top of the cheesecake batter, starting in the center and spiraling out, leave a 1/2-inch border of exposed cheesecake around the edge of the pan.
• Bake until the cheesecake is giggly, but not liquid, when you gently shake the pan or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the cheesecake registers 130 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Cool the cake on the counter for 1 hour. Carefully run a paring knife around the edge of the cake, then refrigerate in the pan until chilled, about 2 hours or up to overnight. Remove the ring from the springform pan and serve chilled.