Chocolate Cheesecake Purple Crystal
Preparing your purple puree
In a pan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir and cook for around 6-8 minutes on medium heat as the sugar and the blueberries soften. You can mash the blueberries with a fork or use an immersion blender. If desired, you can strain the puree to remove the skins for a smoother texture. Mix the puree with the sweet potato puree and the butterfly pea powder, if you are using it. Set the puree aside to cool.
Melt your chocolate
You can do this in a double boiler or microwave. If using a microwave, do 20 second intervals, stirring in between each. Cool the chocolate until it is warm, but not hot. It should be pourable.
Make the cheesecake filling
With a hand or stand mixer, mix the cream cheese until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Pour in the sugar, mix, and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for a few seconds after each addition. After that, add the melted chocolate, sour cream, vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt. Then, mix until all the ingredients are combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Create the swirls
Take the cheesecake that has set crust and pour ⅔ of the chocolate cheesecake batter over the crust. Using a spoon, add some dollops of the purple puree all the way to the edge of the batter. Then, add the remaining chocolate batter on top. Again, use your spoon to add dollops of purple puree all the way to the edge of the batter. With a knife or skewer, create a few swirls, being careful not to over swirl.
Baking
Place the springform pan in the large roasting pan. Then, add enough hot water in the roasting pan so that water is about one inch up the sides of the springform pan (this is called a water bath, and it’s to help prevent cracks on your cheesecake. It’s optional but recommended). Bake for 60 to 75 minutes. The cheesecake edges should look more cooked but the middle should look wiggly, like Jell-o. After baking, turn the oven off, crack the oven door and let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour in the oven.
Chill
After one hour, take the springform pan out of the water bath and out of the oven. Take a knife and cut around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen the sides. Then, let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. Once cool, cover the cheesecake and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours (overnight is even better).
