Blueberry Ricotta Cream Cheesecake

I've had a life-long love affair with cheesecake but, until very recently, I didn't know there was a National Cheesecake Day.  Even better is that it falls just 3 short days after my birthday.  It's like they know me!  I knew I'd be celebrating today with a huge group of my fellow bloggers but I went ahead and made the cake over the weekend so that it could be my birthday treat.

In deciding what kind of cheesecake to make I borrowed ideas from a few different ones to create my ideal version.  I love crust so my perfect cheesecake got a crumbly buttery crust.  I love fruit topped cheesecakes and am currently obsessing over blueberries so I made a sweet and tart blueberry compote for the top.  For the cake itself, I wanted to combine the best of both cream cheese and ricotta cakes and mixed it in the food processor for the perfect texture.  The result was my ideal version of a cheesecake and the best birthday cake I could ever have.  Don't forget to check out all the links below to see everybody else's idea of the perfect cheesecake.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Crust:
2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
2 Sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt

Filling:
16 oz. Ricotta cheese
8 oz. Cream cheese
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3 Large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 Cup all purpose flour

Blueberry Compote:
2 Cup blueberries
1/4 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch of salt

To make the crust, add the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder to a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse a few times, just until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Add the egg and continue mixing until it forms a dough ball.  Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Make the topping by adding the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt to a pot and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Refrigerate for at least an hour or even overnight.

To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice in the food processor and pulse until smooth.  Add the butter and than the flour and mix in thoroughly.

To assemble the cake, place the dough into a 9" spring-form pan and, using your hands, spread it out and up the sides of the pan.  This dough falls apart when rolled so this is the only way I've found.  A bit tedious but worth it.  Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust (it will be runny) and bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 75 - 80 minutes until the top is set.  If it has a very tiny wiggle when it's done, that's fine and it will set.  Allow the cake to cool thoroughly before removing from the pan.  Top with the blueberry compote before serving.  Makes approximately 10 servings.

Happy National Cheesecake Day from my fellow bloggers:

Baked Cheesecakes:

• Blackberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Baking a Moment
• Blueberry Ricotta Cream Cheesecake from Hungry Couple
• Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake from Wishes and Dishes
• Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Whisky Toffee Shards from girlichef
• Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake from Savvy Eats
• Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust from All Day I Dream About Food
• Hawaiian Chantilly Layer Cheesecake from Wallflour Girl
• Hawaiian Mini Cheesecakes from Pint Sized Baker
• Key Lime Pie Cheesecake from Love and Confections
• Lemon Cheesecake from Shugary Sweets
• Lemon Ginger Panna Cotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce from Girl Versus Dough
• Lightened Up Apricot-Swirl Cheesecake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Lilikoi Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Shortbread Crust from Dieter's Downfall
• Mango Cheesecake (vegan) from Jessiker Bakes
• Mini cheesecakes with a toasted coconut crust (gluten free) from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine
• Mini Mascarpone Cheesecakes with Strawberry Balsamic Topping from Boulder Locavore
• Mom's Cheesecake from Magnolia Days
• New York Style Cheesecake from URBAN BAKES
• Oreo Cheesecake (vegan) from Namely Marly
• Oreo Ripple Cheesecake from Overtime Cook
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutella Ganache Topping from The Redhead Baker
• Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust from Roxana's Home Baking
• Pumpkin Cheesecake from Lady Behind The Curtain
• Rainbow Cheesecake from In Katrina's Kitchen
• Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust from Hip Foodie Mom
• Ricotta Cheesecake from French Press
• Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• S'mores Cheesecake from The Gunny Sack
• Snickers Cheesecake from Life, Love and Sugar
• Sugar Cookie Cheesecake from Munchkin Munchies
• Vanilla Bean Cheesecake from Wine & Glue
• Very Berry Cheesecake with Chocolate Oreo Crust from JavaCupcake
• White Chocolate Cheesecake with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel from Taste and Tell
• White Chocolate Frangelico Cheesecake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake from Will Cook For Smiles

No Bake Cheesecakes:

• Butter Pecan Caramel No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes from Simply Southern Baking
• Cherry and Pistachio No Bake Cheesecake with Animal Cracker Crust from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Mini No Bake Lime Cheesecakes from Miss in the Kitchen
• Neapolitan No Bake Cheesecake from Grandbaby Cakes
• No-Bake Berry Cheesecake from Food Lust People Love
• No Bake Blackberry Cheesecake from You Made That?
• No Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Caramelized Peaches from The Food Charlatan
• No-Bake Limoncello Cheesecake from Cake Duchess
• No Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from White Lights on Wednesday
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
• No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Cheesecake Beverages:

• Black Raspberry Cheesecake Milkshake from Blahnik Baker
• Caramel Cheesecake Martini from Happy Food, Healthy Life

Cheesecake Cookies and Bars:

• Caramel Overload Cheesecake Bars from Crumbs and Chaos
• Cherry Cheesecake Brownies from Inside BruCrew Life
• Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Cookies from Lemons for Lulu
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars from Chez CateyLou
• Healthier Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars from Texanerin Baking
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars from Cooking In Stilettos
• No Bake Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars from Beyond Frosting
• No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars from Garnish with Lemon
• Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Bars from A Kitchen Addiction

Cheesecake Desserts and Treats:

• Banana Foster No Bake Cheesecake Shooters from Mind Over Batter
• Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Cake from gotta get baked
• Key Lime Trifles from Hoosier Homemade
• Strawberry Cheesecake Pots from Barbara Bakes
• Triple Brigadeiro Cheesecake Tart from From Brazil To You

Frozen Cheesecakes and Treats:

• Blackberry Cheesecake Popsicles from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Ice Cream from Chocolate Moosey