Berry Patriotic Cheesecake

I have the best 4th of July dessert today!

I took some inspiration from my Citrus Trio Cheesecake and made a patriotic version!  The layers are actually berry flavored (strawberry for the red and blueberry for the blue) but as fruit is apt to do, the red was pink and the blue was lavender, so I helped it along with some gel food coloring.

The final cheesecake was both stunning and delicious - it is a definite show stopper centerpiece!

Berry Patriotic Cheesecake

Crust

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

8 ounces sour cream

¾ cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Red & blue gel food coloring, optional

Blueberry sauce

1 cup blueberries

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon cornstarch

Strawberry sauce

1 cup strawberries

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (do not use convection).  Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom in aluminum foil.

Stir together the crust ingredients and press them firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (use the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup to help press the crumbs down evenly). Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool slightly.

To make the blueberry sauce, place the blueberries, water, and cornstarch in a blender and blend until smooth.  Place in a small saucepan over medium and cook until thick, 8-10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

To make the strawberry sauce, place the strawberries, water, and cornstarch in a blender and blend until smooth.  Place in a small saucepan over medium and cook until thick, 8-10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat on medium speed, until the mixture is very smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently.

Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth.  

Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls.  Whisk the blueberry sauce (and blue food coloring, if desired) into one bowl, strawberry sauce (and red food coloring, if desired) into the second bowl, and Leave the last bowl plain.

Pour the blueberry batter onto the cooled crust.  Place the springform into a rimmed baking pan filled with 1-inch of water.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the batter is just set.  It should look dull instead of shiny and can still be jiggly.

Carefully remove from oven (I simply pulled the rack out and worked quickly, so I didn’t have to move the pan).  Pour the vanilla/plain filling over the baked blueberry filling. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the batter is just set.  It should look dull instead of shiny and can still be jiggly.

Carefully remove from oven (I simply pulled the rack out and worked quickly, so I didn’t have to move the pan).  Pour the strawberry filling over the baked vanilla filling. Bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the top batter is set, it can be slightly jiggly in the center.

Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool for about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool for another hour.  Then cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, add dollops of whipped cream for decoration.  Serve cold.