One of my favorite cheesecake flavors from the Cheesecake Factory, is their “white chocolate raspberry truffle” cheesecake. I don’t, however, like the 12.95 per slice price tag! My entire cheesecake cost just about this much – so this was a WIN for sure!
You will want to make this cake the day before you want to serve it. It will need to spend the night in the refrigerator, for the best texture and taste.
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake recipe
Crust:
1 1/2 c chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, or chocolate graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp granulated sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
Alternative – Combine about 20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed in a food processor, and 4 Tbsp unsalted, melted butter.
Raspberry sauce:
1 – 12oz bag frozen raspberries
1/2 c granulated sugar (adjust per your taste)
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 c water
Cheesecake:
3 – 8oz pkgs full fat cream cheese (at room temp)
1/2 c granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c heavy cream
Prepare an 8-9″ spring form pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a parchment paper round (to prevent sticking). Crush chocolate cookies to a fine powder. Combine in a medium bowl, with sugar and melted butter. Pour into prepared pan, and press on the bottom, and slightly up the sides. Place pan on a cookie sheet pan, and bake for about 10 min. Set aside and cool.
In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine raspberry sauce ingredients. Stir, and bring to a low simmer for about 5 min. Press through a sieve, to remove all seeds. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a double boiler, over low heat. Stir til melted and smooth. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese and sugar til very smooth – no lumps allowed! Completely softened cream cheese is essential here. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Blend between each addition, just til incorporated. Add vanilla, and white chocolate mixture. Blend to combine.
The best way to bake a cheesecake is in a water bath. It creates the most even baking for sure. You can bake it on a sheet pan if you prefer – but it may not come out quite as “perfect”.
Wrap the outside of your spring form pan with a single large piece of foil – to prevent any water from getting into the crust on the bottom. (Don’t overlap 2 small pieces of foil, as water WILL GET IN!) Place the foil-covered pan into a larger pan. Pour 1/2 of cheesecake mixture into the cookie lined pan. Top with 3-4 Tbsp of the raspberry sauce, then swirl gently using a sharp knife. Add a few fresh or frozen berries if you like. Top with the remaining cheesecake mixture, completely covering the sauce. Add another 3-4 Tbsp of the sauce, and swirl again – making a final beautiful pattern.
Place both pans in the oven, and add water to the larger pan – to about 1/2 way up the cheesecake pan. Be careful not to splash any water onto the cheesecake top.
Bake for 60 to 65 min, til the filling is set, and just the center is a bit “jiggly”. Run a sharp knife all around the cake, close to the sides of the pan, to loosen it from the pan. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the pan, and decorate with fresh whipped topping, white chocolate curls, and fresh raspberries. Drizzle with some of the remaining raspberry sauce for serving.
