Preheat your oven to 300ºF and line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper then spray the pan with baking spray. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil to help protect the cheesecake from the water bath.
Combine all of the ingredients for the crust in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until all the graham cracker crumbs are wet with butter. Pour the mix into the prepared pan and press the crust into the bottom of the pan so it is flat. Set aside.
2 cups graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup brown sugar, 7 Tablespoons butter
Next, make the cheesecake filling. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour over low speed. Blend on low speed until smooth. You do not want to incorporate too much air into the batter so keep the speed on low!
24 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons flour
Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and zest to the bowl and blend.
¾ cup sour cream, ⅓ cup lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition so each egg is thoroughly mixed in and the batter stays smooth.
3 eggs
Gently fold the blueberries into the batter, stirring just once or twice so they are mixed but do not get smooshed.
1½ cups fresh blueberries
Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the graham cracker crust.
Place the cheesecake pan in a larger pan (any bigger size will work) then fill the big, outside pan with water. The water should go halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Carefully put the pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The center of the cheesecake will not look wet and will not be wet when gently touched. It will also be slightly golden brown just around the edges of the cake. It will still be mostly white.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool in the pan at room temperature. Place it in the fridge to chill completely for at least 4 hours.
Make the cheesecake topping by combining the cornstarch, water and sugar in a medium sized pot. Heat the mix over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Stir in the blueberries and bring to a simmer. Cook for one minute then remove from the heat and let cool. It will thicken as it cools.
1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon water, ¼ cup sugar, 2 cups blueberries
When you are ready to assemble the cheesecake, make the whipped cream. It is best when fresh. Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.
1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Remove the springform pan ring from the chilled cheesecake.
Pipe the whipped cream around the outside edge of the cheesecake. Pour the blueberry topping into the center of the whipped cream circle. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.