Lemon Berry Cheesecake Blondies

Cheesecake Blondies, topped with a berry syrup and a crispy crumb.

This recipe came about as a snack for afternoon tea for my sister-in-law’s birthday. Asked to bring a dessert, I set to work trying to decide on something that she’d love. This is the result. Perfect, what-dreams-are-made-of type, Cheesecake Blondies.

The name started off as Lemon Berry Crumb Cheesecake Blondies but it seemed too long winded, so the crumb got dropped. But only from the name. The crumb is still, most definitely a part of these little bites.

I really love the combination of textures here. The dense blondie, topped with soft baked cheesecake mixture and a crumb topping ‘cause, well, who doesn’t love a crumb topping? In fact, I could have added more but I stuck to a sensible amount here.

The recipe for the cheesecake layer is an adaptation on my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Slice. That slice was such a hit that I new this one would be a winner too. It has just the right amount of creamy cheesecake to taste it, but not so much that you feel you’ll be rolling yourself home 🙂

The berry swirl, made with real berries (frozen) is great too as it  gives it a little tartness and lift, plus you can use any type of berries you love most.

I know the recipe looks a bit long but it actually isn’t. Each step is the work of mere minutes – seriously! The longest time is cooking it. Or waiting for it to cool before you can devour it 🙂

Enjoy 🙂

RECIPE – Lemon Berry Cheesecake Blondies

5 from 1 vote

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Lemon Berry Cheesecake Blondies

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Creamy Cheesecake Blondies with a berry swirl and crumb topping.

Course: Dessert, Snack

Servings: 12

Author: Marie

Ingredients

For the blondies

• 1/2 cup (115g / 1 stick) unsalted butter melted
• 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar packed
• 1 large egg room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (130g) plain flour (all-purpose)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Berry swirl

• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar (see notes)
• 1 ½ cups mixed frozen berries
• Juice of one lemon

Crumb Topping

• 1 1/3 cups (175g) plain flour (all-purpose)
• 1/3 cup (35g) demerara sugar
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick / 115g) melted unsalted butter

Cheesecake layer

• 250 g cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup cream
• Zest of one lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 170C (350F). Line a slice tin (approx. 7x10 inches) with baking paper.

For the blondies

1. Start by lightly beating the egg. With the mixer still going on low speed, add the sugar, then the vanilla and finally the melted butter until it is fully incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Add in 3 parts to the wet ingredients, mixing between each addition until just combined.
3. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. While that’s happening, make the berry swirl.

Purée the berries, then pour into a saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice then reduce at a simmer for a couple of minutes until it is thick and syrupy. Allow to cool a little.

Now make the crumb topping.

1. Mix all the crumb ingredients together in a bowl until evenly mixed.

For the cheesecake layer.

1. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. 2 minutes should do it. Add the egg and beat well. Add the vanilla and cream and beat for another minute or so.
2. Once the blondie has had 20 minutes in the oven, take it out and pour the cheesecake mixture over the top. Drizzle over the berry syrup and use a toothpick to swirl it around. Then sprinkle the crumb topping all over.
3. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until nicely golden on top and cheesecake looks set.

Recipe Notes

I use an Australian 20ml tablespoon

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