How to make a photo-worthy blackberry cheesecake | Jenn Terrell, South Florida Photographer
I felt the urge to bake something a few nights ago after watching several Halloween baking competitions on TV. 😆 I wanted to make something that would also photograph well. I recently moved to Miami Beach, Florida and my kitchen is not complete with baking supplies yet so I also had to make something that didn’t require a mixer. I searched the internet for several recipes and I came across this Blackberry Cheesecake that I knew would look amazing and probably taste pretty good too. 😉
I was more than happy with the results. Consider my creative itch, scratched!
A few important notes about the recipe:
1. There ended up being way too much crust! If you make this recipe I would recommend using your own judgement on how much crust to use but definitely do not use the full amount. The crust was so thick that it was difficult to cut the cheesecake.
2. I didn’t use a mixer because the recipe didn’t say to use one but it really would have helped. Even a whisk would have been an improvement. The cheesecake wasn’t super smooth because of this.
3. For a photo-worthy cheesecake make sure you follow the recipe and use parchment paper and also grease the parchment paper. This will ensure that the sides of the cheesecake are smooth.
4. After the cheesecake was finished cooking I left it in the refrigerator over night to make sure it would stay together once I took off the parchment paper for photos.
Blackberry Cheesecake
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup soft butter
For the filling:
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
2 cups washed and dried blackberries ( I put a few aside for the photos)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper. Mix together all the crust ingredients until crumbly and press firmly into the bottom of the pan (only use as much as you need, it is okay to have some leftover. The leftovers might even make good cookies). Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, 2 tablespoons of flour, and egg and mix until smooth (A mixer would really help here). Pour over the crust. Sprinkle with the berries. Bake for about 35 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.