Blueberry cheesecake squares

Shortbread crust makes these spectacularly delicious!

These squares are easy to make and deliver big, satisfying flavour. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days after baking, and can be frozen for longer storage. You’ll note I recommend wild blueberries; they are smaller and much more flavourful than their larger, cultivated cousins. For best presentation, I like to trim about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) off the edges of the slab of chilled squares before cutting them into individual pieces, so that each square is perfectly neat. Of course, the trimmings are entirely edible! If you love baking with blueberries as much as I do, you might want to try this scrumptious blueberry-ricotta loaf or this blueberry buckle.

Ingredients

Crust and topping:

• 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (or more, if you like)
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (or cinnamon)
• Egg yolk (to be added for topping layer only)

Filling:

• 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (or cinnamon)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups (490 g) wild blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw if using frozen)
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) cornstarch

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 13 x 9-inch (32.5 x 22.5 cm) pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang so you can lift the squares out of the pan after baking. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy (use a stand or electric mixer if you have one), then beat in flour, salt and cardamom until just combined (mixture will be crumbly). Press about 2/3 of the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
• Take the reserved remainder of the mixture (which will be used for topping) and combine with one egg yolk, then set aside.
• Bake crust for 15-17 minutes, until beginning to turn a light golden colour.
• While crust bakes, prepare filling. Put cream cheese, 1/4 cup (50 g) of the sugar, egg, lemon zest, cardamom and salt in a medium sized bowl. Beat by hand or with a mixer until very smooth.
• In a separate medium sized bowl, gently combine blueberries, remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar and cornstarch. Toss gently.
• When crust is cooked, remove pan from oven. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust then scatter blueberry mixture evenly over top, ensuring any remaining cornstarch/sugar mixture in the berry bowl is distributed evenly over the berries. Scatter reserved topping mixture over blueberry layer.
• Bake until filling is set, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a rack to cool completely then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• To serve, lift chilled squares out of pan using parchment paper ‘handles’. Use a large, sharp knife to cut into squares of desired size.
• Store leftover squares in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage.

Makes one large pan of squares to serve a crowd.