Blackberry Pecan Cheesecake
This super creamy vanilla bean cheesecake with pecan cookie crust and blackberries sauce has just enough fall flavor to kick off the start of fall baking. Bring on the spice and cooler temps!
Blackberries are one of my favorite berries to bake with. Plus, they have a extra long season so you can still find great one after all of the local blueberries and strawberries are through. The one thing most people dislike about blackberries is all the seeds. I strain my blackberry sauce to remove those seed that seem to always get stuck in your teeth. All the flavor without the need to floss. ;)
Turning the oven off and cracking the oven door for the last 30 minutes of baking allows the cheesecake to continue to bake but also to cool down slowly as warm air escapes the oven and it cools. This will help prevent a crack from forming in the cheesecake. I prefer this method to a Bain Marie mainly because it's easier and requires no additional equipment. If your cheesecake still cracks while cooling, no worries. Its nothing that a little whipped cream can't cover! A crack may be wack but it won't effect how yummy your cheesecake will taste.
Blackberry Pecan Cheesecake
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
5 (8 ounces) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
pinch salt
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 package pecan sandy cookies; approximately 30
3 tablespoons butter; melted
Blackberry Sauce
1 pint whole blackberries
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon creme de cassis (optional)
pinch of salt
*blackberries and pecan halves for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Crust:
Crush approximately pecan sandy cookies and mix with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Gently press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 10 -inch springform pan (9-inch will also work but the batter will fill to the tip-top). Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool while you make the cheesecake batter.
Blackberry Sauce:
In a small saucepan over medium heat add the berries and water. Cover the mixture and let cook until they release their juices and become soft about 8-10 minutes.
Then, mix together the sugar and corn starch. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and corn starch mixture.
Return the pan to the heat and cook on low. Heat the mixture until thicken and all of the corn starch has been cooked off about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add creme de cassis and salt. Make sure to do this on low heat so that the filling will not thicken too much before all of the corn starch has cooked off.
If your sauce does thicken before the cornstarch taste is removed. Add a little water and continue to cook until thick and no cornstarch taste is left. Puree the mixer using an immersion blender, then pass through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and skins. Chill until ready to assemble.
Cheesecake:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. While continuing to mix gradually add in the sugar and vanilla bean paste until combined. Add in the eggs one at a time mixing until incorporated between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure all of the cream cheese has been incorporated. Add the batter to the cool crust.
Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Then, turn off the oven, crack open the oven door and continue bake for 30 more minutes. (this will allow the cheesecake to cool down slowly and will prevent a crack from forming in the cheesecake)
Let the cheesecake continue to cool on the counter and the place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
Before serving spoon the top with blackberry sauce and add fresh berries and toasted pecan halves.
