**Yield** One 9-inch cheesecake **Prep Time** 1 hour 30 minutes **Make Time** 2 hours 15 minutes (baking and oven cool down) Total Time: 11 hours 45 minutes (including chill) ## Special Equipment - 9-inch springform pan wrapped in tinfoil (or placed in a larger pan to act as a water bath) - Food processor (for Nilla Wafer crust) - Roasting pan for water bath - Stand mixer (or hand mixer) with paddle and whisk attachments ## Ingredients - **For the Blueberry Jam** - 16 oz (340 g) fresh blueberries - ¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar - 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice - 1½ tsp vanilla - 2 tsp (5 g) cornstarch - **For the Crumble** - ½ cup + 2 tbsp (125 g) granulated white sugar - ½ tbsp (5 g) lemon zest - ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter, softened - ½ tsp vanilla - 1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled - ¼ tsp salt - **For the Crust** - 4 heaping cups (240 g) Nilla Wafers (about 68 cookies) - ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter, melted - 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated white sugar - **For the Lemon Cheesecake** - 32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature - 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated white sugar - 2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch - ⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, room temperature - 3 tbsp (30 g) lemon zest - 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla - 3 eggs, room temperature - 3 egg yolks, room temperature - **For the Whipped Cream & Toppings** - ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream - ¼ cup (34 g) powdered sugar - Fresh blueberries and lemon slices, for decorating ## Instructions 1. **Make the Blueberry Jam** Add blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and cornstarch to a medium pot. Cook over medium heat for 20–23 minutes, until thick, smashing some berries halfway through. Cool—it should yield about 1¾ cups (420 ml) of jam. 2. **Prepare the Crumble Topping** In a bowl, rub lemon zest into sugar. Add softened butter and vanilla and cream on high speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Mix in flour and salt on medium speed until coarse crumbs form. Chill in refrigerator while you continue. 3. **Make the Crust** Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Wrap the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with tinfoil, or place the pan in a larger pan for a water bath alternative. Pulse Nilla Wafers in a food processor until finely ground; add melted butter and sugar, pulse until combined. Press crumbs into bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool. 4. **Prepare the Cheesecake Batter** In a stand mixer bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch on medium until smooth and lump-free (about 2 min using paddle attachment). Scrape bowl. Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla; mix 1 more minute. Scrape again. With mixer on low, add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing fully between additions; do **not** over-mix. 5. **Assemble the Cheesecake** Pour half of cheesecake batter into cooled crust. Spoon half the blueberry jam on top and gently swirl with a butter knife, without fully mixing. Add remaining batter, smooth, then spoon remaining jam and swirl again. Sprinkle chilled crumble evenly over the top. 6. **Bake in a Water Bath** Place the cheesecake pan inside a large roasting pan. Carefully pour boiling water around it (enough to reach about 1½ in up the cheesecake pan). Alternatively, use the “pan-within-a-pan” method described. Bake at 350 °F (175 °C) for 1 hour 15 minutes; tent with foil if crumble browns too much. After baking, turn off oven and crack door open with a wooden utensil; leave cheesecake to cool in oven for 1 hour. 7. **Chill** Remove from oven. Run a butter knife around edges to loosen. Cool completely on a countertop, then refrigerate until fully chilled—about 8 hours or overnight. 8. **Make Whipped Cream & Finish** Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form (about 1–2 minutes). Transfer to a piping bag. Remove cheesecake from pan onto a serving plate, pipe whipped cream decoratively around the edge, and garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon slices. Serve.