[2] You can serve smaller bites (photo © Asellina | NYC).

[3] You can also swirl the blueberry topping into the cheesecake batter or just on the top (photo: The Nibble).

[4] How about a blueberry swirl cheesecake? Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).

May 26th is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. It may be hard to find a piece of blueberry cheesecake—cherry and strawberry are the popular berries toppings.

But you can easily make your own, from fresh or frozen berries. A homemade sauce is much tastier than the gelled goop into which berries are set on many commercial cheesecakes.

Then, just pick up a slice of cheesecake, top, and celebrate. You can also use the berry topping on ice cream/sorbet, pancakes/waffles, puddings, and other cakes: angel cake, chiffon cake, pound cake, and sponge cake.

You can bake your own cheesecake and create a blueberry swirl cheesecake by swirling the topping into the batter.

Other fruits. The recipe works for other berries, stone fruits (apricots, cherries, peaches, plums), tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), even the classic autumn fruits (apples, figs, pears).

Below:

> Blueberry topping recipe.

> More ways to use the topping.

Elsewhere On The Nibble:

> The history of cheesecake.

> The history of blueberries.

> Some of our favorite cheesecake recipes.

> The 14+ cheesecake holidays.

> The year’s 35+ berry holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE TOPPING

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MIX the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.

2. COMBINE the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mix comes to a low boil.

3. GENTLY STIR the cornstarch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the fruit. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (about 5 minutes).

4. REMOVE from heat; gently stir in the vanilla and zest. Cool; refrigerate until ready to use. Warm very slightly in the microwave for easy pouring.
 
Recipe Notes

 

[5] Blueberries are one of the few fruit species native to North America (photo © Good Eggs).

Breakfast & Brunch Toppings

 
Dessert Toppings

 

[6] Blueberry topping has numerous uses (photo: The Nibble).
 
________________
 
*To use as a filling in a vanilla or lemon layer cake, pipe a buttercream “dam” around the edge of the cake layer first to keep the fruit from leaking out.
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.