Almond Cheesecake with Sour Cream and Blackberries

From the kitchen of Carly

Nutty almond paste swirled into a dense, creamy filling makes this cheesecake rich without being heavy. The graham cracker crust gains toasted almond crunch, while sour cream keeps everything balanced. Top with blackberries for bright, tart contrast.

Almond Cheesecake with Sour Cream and Blackberries

Almond paste does the heavy lifting here, giving this cheesecake a subtle nuttiness without the grittiness of ground almonds. The sour cream layer adds a tart bite that keeps the filling from feeling heavy, while the blackberry gelée on top cuts through with bright acidity. It's elegant enough for company but straightforward enough to pull together on a regular weeknight.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 17-ounce tube almond paste
  • 6whole graham crackers , broken up
  • 1/2 cupwhole almonds , toasted, cooled
  • 1/4 cupchilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cupsugar
  • 28-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature
  • 3 largeeggs
  • 1/2 cupwhipping cream
  • 1/4 tspalmond extract
  • 1 cupsour cream
  • 3 tbspplus 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 lbfrozen unsweetened blackberries, thawed, drained, juices reserved
  • 1 1/2 tspunflavored gelatin

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Set aside 1/2 cup (packed) of the almond paste to use later for the filling. Drop the rest of the almond paste, the graham crackers, and the whole almonds into a food processor and grind finely. Add the butter and pulse until moist crumbs form. Press the mixture firmly across the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake until the crust colors slightly, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

  2. Wipe the processor clean. Blend the sugar with the reserved 1/2 cup almond paste until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 1 minute. Add half of the cream cheese and process until smooth, another minute. Add the remaining cream cheese and blend smooth again. Finally, drop in the eggs, cream, and almond extract and pulse just until combined.

  3. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the cheesecake is just set in the center and beginning to crack at the edges, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, keeping the oven on.

  4. Stir the sour cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small bowl, then spoon the mixture over the hot cake. Slide back into the oven for 3 more minutes. Pull out and chill the cake, uncovered, until cold, about 1 1/2 hours.

  5. In a heavy small saucepan, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup of sugar with the reserved berry juices. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin over the top and let it sit 15 minutes to bloom. Set the pan over low heat and stir until the sugar and gelatin fully dissolve (do not boil). Pour the syrup into a medium bowl and fold in the berries. Refrigerate the topping, stirring occasionally, until cold and just beginning to set, about 1 1/2 hours.

  6. Spoon the berry topping over the chilled cake and return to the fridge until the topping fully sets, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Toast your almonds fresh if you can, even if it's just 5 minutes in a dry skillet. It wakes up the flavor way more than pre-toasted ones sitting in a bag.
  • Bring your cream cheese to room temperature before blending, or you'll end up with lumps no amount of processing will fix.
  • Don't skip blooming the gelatin in the berry juice before heating. That 15-minute rest lets it hydrate properly so the gelée sets cleanly without any rubbery texture.
  • The sour cream topping needs to go on the cake while it's still hot from the oven so it sets into that signature creamy layer. Room temperature cake won't work.

Variations

  • Swap the blackberries for fresh raspberries or a mix of both, following the same gelatin method.
  • Skip the berry topping entirely and serve wedges with a small dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of toasted almonds instead.
  • Use half the almond paste and add 1/2 cup of finely ground pistachios to the crust for a different nut profile.
  • Make individual cheesecakes in a muffin tin, reducing the bake time to about 25 minutes and adjusting the sour cream topping accordingly.

Make ahead and storage

Keep the whole cake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezing isn't recommended because the sour cream layer and gelée topping don't hold up well to thawing. Leftovers taste best cold straight from the fridge.