Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Pie

This amazing blueberry lemon cheesecake pie is a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Perfect for spring or summer entertaining.Every year, my sister and brother-in-law host a Pi(e) Night party in celebration of National Pi Day. His number nerdiness combined with her love of hosting a great party have made for some pretty epic evenings over the years, and it’s now something I look forward to every March. Two years ago, I even won their pie contest with this Candy Apple Pie, which I cannot take credit for at all, but it is amazing!

Last year, on the way home from their party, I got the idea for this blueberry lemon cheesecake pie. I finally made it last week, and it was a hit! While Pi Day is over for now, this pie would make a great addition to an Easter dessert table or any other time you need a fresh-tasting spring pie.

It starts out with a recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe for the best pie crust. Then it involves making a blueberry-cream cheese layer, followed by a lemon whipped cream layer. I did a little decorative piping for good measure and garnished it with a slice of lemon and a few blueberries and voila! If you really want to knock it out of the park, add a blueberry sauce to drizzle over the individual slices when serving, and it’s pretty amazing!

Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Pie

Note: Don’t let the multiple layers of this pie scare you. It’s easy to do in stages over a couple of days, and it’s SO worth the effort. As a variation, I’ve thought about taking the blueberry sauce and layering it in the pie itself in between the blueberry cream cheese layer and the whipped cream layer. Next time I make it, I’ll report back on how it worked. If you try it first, let me know how it goes!

Ingredients:

• 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust, rolled out and placed in 9-inch pie plate (see my favorite pie crust recipe + tutorial here)

Blueberry Cream Cheese Layer

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried

Lemon Whipped Cream Layer

• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Blueberry Sauce (optional, but such a good addition)

• 2 cups blueberries (I used frozen)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Make pie crust. Freeze the pie crust (rolled out in the pie plate) for 30 minutes to help it hold its shape while baking.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. For blueberry filling, in a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on low speed, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. (Make sure you mix the cream cheese until NO lumps remain before adding any other wet ingredients. Otherwise you’ll have to strain the whole thing or deal with lumpy filling. Not that I’ve ever been faced with that choice…) Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended.
4. Remove pie crust from freezer. Evenly distribute blueberries to cover the bottom of the pie. Pour cream cheese mixture over blueberries. Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Let stand outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. For lemon whipped cream topping, whip together heavy whipping cream, lemon, and sugar until light and fluffy. Peaks should hold their shape. Spread over pie evenly, reserving a small amount to use for decorative piping, if desired.
6. Garnish with a lemon slice and a few blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. For blueberry sauce, mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend sauce using immersion blender or small blender (like a Magic Bullet). If you prefer, you can leave it chunky, but I like it better with a smoother texture. Let cool to room temperature. Drizzle over individual pie slices when serving.

Enjoy!

I regularly link up here.