The photo looks like a tall, rustic berry cream-cheese cake with a soft, rich crumb, a creamy cheese layer, and lots of blueberries/raspberries baked through and piled on top. The recipe below is designed to give a very similar appearance and texture. Cream-cheese berry cakes commonly use full-fat cream cheese, blueberries, and a flour-based cake batter; berries can also be substituted with raspberries or blackberries.
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101 Cooking For Two
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Yield: 8–10 servings
Pan: 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan, preferably 3-inch/7.5 cm deep
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 50–65 minutes
Cooling/chilling: 2–3 hours
Ingredients
Cake batter
170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
220 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
120 ml (½ cup) sour cream or thick plain yogurt
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Cream-cheese layer
225 g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, softened
60 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
Berries
150 g (about 1 cup) blueberries
150 g (about 1 cup) raspberries
1 tbsp flour, for tossing with the berries
1–2 tbsp extra blueberries for decorating
Fresh or frozen blueberries can work; if using frozen berries, don’t thaw them first, because thawing releases excess juice and can make the batter streaky.
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Optional golden topping
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sliced almonds (optional—see nut information below)
Optional finish
2–3 tbsp blueberry or raspberry jam
1 tsp lemon juice
Fresh blueberries
Fresh raspberries
Powdered sugar
Detailed Method
1. Prepare the pan
Heat the oven to:
175°C / 350°F conventional
or 160°C / 320°F fan.
Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
For a very tall cake like the photograph, make sure the sides are at least 3 inches high.
2. Prepare the berries
Put the blueberries and raspberries into a bowl.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour and gently toss.
Don’t mash the raspberries.
The small amount of flour helps reduce sinking and keeps the berries distributed through the cake.
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Set aside.
3. Make the cream-cheese filling
Beat together:
cream cheese
sugar
egg yolk
vanilla
flour
lemon juice
Mix until completely smooth.
Don’t overbeat it once smooth.
You want a thick, spreadable cheesecake-like mixture.
Set aside.
4. Make the cake batter
Beat the softened butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes.
The mixture should become noticeably lighter and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.
In another bowl, whisk together:
flour
baking powder
salt
Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
Mix gently.
Add half the sour cream.
Repeat:
flour → sour cream → flour
Finish with the remaining flour.
Stop mixing as soon as no dry flour remains.
Overmixing at this stage can make the cake heavy.
🫐 5. Assemble the cake
Spread about half of the cake batter into the prepared pan.
It will be fairly thick.
Spread the cream-cheese mixture over it, leaving approximately 1 cm / ½ inch around the edge.
Scatter approximately half of the berries over the cream cheese.
Now carefully spoon the remaining cake batter over the berries.
Use a spatula to gently spread it.
Don’t worry if a little cream cheese or berry shows through.
Scatter the remaining berries over the top.
6. Make the beautiful golden top
For the appearance in your photograph, lightly brush the exposed top with melted butter.
Sprinkle with brown sugar.
If desired, add a small amount of sliced almonds.
Don’t cover the whole surface—the berries should remain visible.
7. Bake
Bake at 175°C / 350°F for approximately 50–65 minutes.
Start checking around 50 minutes.
The cake is ready when:
the top is deeply golden
the cake feels set around the edges
a skewer inserted into the cake portion comes out with moist crumbs rather than wet batter
the center can have a very slight wobble because of the cream-cheese layer
Cream-cheese cakes can remain slightly soft in the center while hot, so don’t judge them solely by the wobble. Similar cream-cheese/blueberry cakes are generally baked until the cake portion tests clean while the cream-cheese center remains somewhat soft.
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If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil during the last 15–20 minutes.
8. Cool properly
Leave the cake in the pan for 15–20 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edge.
Remove the springform ring.
Allow it to cool completely.
For the firm, creamy texture shown in the photograph, refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours before cutting.
For especially clean slices, refrigerate overnight.
🫐 9. Make the berry topping
For an appearance close to the photo, gently warm:
2–3 tbsp blueberry or raspberry jam
1 tsp lemon juice
Brush a thin layer over the cooled cake.
Pile fresh blueberries and raspberries over the top.
You can add a few extra drops of jam over the berries for a glossy finish.
Dust very lightly with powdered sugar immediately before serving.
Nut Information
This recipe is naturally nut-free if you omit the almond topping.
The basic recipe contains:
wheat/gluten
milk/dairy
eggs
The optional sliced almonds introduce tree nuts.
For a completely nut-free version
Simply leave out the almonds.
You don’t need to replace them.
For extra crunch, use a nut-free streusel made from:
30 g flour
20 g brown sugar
15 g butter
pinch of cinnamon
Rub together with your fingers and sprinkle over the cake before baking.
Important: If this is for someone with a serious nut allergy, check the labels of your cream cheese, chocolate/jam, flour and other packaged ingredients for allergen/cross-contact warnings, and use appropriately clean equipment.
Easy Variations
Blueberry only
Use 300 g blueberries.
Raspberry only
Use 300 g raspberries, preferably firm berries.
Mixed berry
Use:
100 g blueberries
100 g raspberries
100 g blackberries
Lemon-blueberry
Increase lemon zest to 2 tsp and add 1 tbsp lemon juice to the cake batter.
Almond-berry
Add 40 g sliced almonds to the topping.
White-chocolate berry
Fold 75 g white chocolate chips into the cake batter.
❓ Recipe Q&A
Why did my berries sink?
The batter may have been too thin, or the berries were very wet. Tossing berries lightly in flour helps them stay distributed.
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101 Cooking For Two
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes. Do not thaw them first. Add them while frozen and expect the cake to need a little additional baking time.
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Can I use frozen raspberries?
Yes, but fresh raspberries generally give a cleaner appearance. Frozen raspberries are fragile and can release more juice.
Why is the center still soft?
That’s normal immediately after baking because of the cream cheese. Let the cake cool and refrigerate it before deciding that it is underbaked.
Why did my cake collapse?
Common causes are opening the oven too early, underbaking, or removing the cake while it is extremely hot.
Can I make it without cream cheese?
Yes, but it won’t have the creamy cheesecake-like center shown in the photograph. Sour cream or thick Greek yogurt can make a good cake, but produces a different texture.
Can I use cream cheese spread from a tub?
You can, but full-fat block cream cheese is preferable cake and cream-cheese layer. A direct substitution isn’t recommended; an egg-free cake batter plus a separately formulated egg-free cheesecake layer works because it contains less excess moisture and gives a firmer filling.
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Can I make it the day before?
Absolutely. In fact, chilling overnight makes it easier to slice and allows the cream-cheese layer to firm.
How should I store it?
Because of the cream-cheese filling, refrigerate the finished cake in an airtight container. For the best texture, take it out approximately 20–30 minutes before serving.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes. Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour designed for cakes. Make sure all other packaged ingredients are certified gluten-free if required for medical reasons.
Can I make it egg-free?
It requires some adjustment because eggs help set both the cake and cream-cheese layer. A direct substitution isn’t recommended; an egg-free cake batter plus a separately formulated egg-free cheesecake layer works better.
Why is my cake much denser than the photo?
The most common reasons are overmixing after adding flour, cold ingredients, too much flour, or insufficient baking powder. Measure flour by weight when possible.
How do I get the dramatic tall appearance in the photo?
Use an 8-inch springform rather than a large shallow pan, don’t overfill it, and let the cake cool completely before slicing. Piling fresh berries on top also gives it the characteristic tall, rustic appearance.
Can I make it less sweet?
Yes. Reduce the cake sugar from 150 g to about 125 g. I wouldn’t reduce the cream-cheese filling sugar much further because the berries provide considerable acidity.
Best texture tip
For the creamy, tall, bakery-style slice in your picture, the most important things are:
full-fat block cream cheese + room-temperature ingredients + don’t overmix + don’t thaw frozen berries + cool completely + refrigerate before slicing.
That combination is also consistent with established blueberry cream-cheese cake methods, which use room-temperature cream cheese and berries carefully incorporated into a relatively thick batter.