White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Creamy cheesecake filled with raspberry and a touch of almond, all baked in a sweet Oreo Cookie Crust. White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake ~ Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Gourmet Cheesecake

Just in time for Easter! This ultra creamy, sinfully rich gourmet cheesecake will be the piece de resistance at the end of your Easter brunch! One piece and your guests will love you forever! Try Chocolate French Silk Pie and Chocolate Bread Pudding for more tempting chocolate treats. And while you're in the cheesecake mood, why not try Chocolate Zebra Cheesecake and NY Style Strawberry Cheesecake. Talk about decadence!

Making the Perfect Cheesecake:

The most common complaint about making cheesecakes it that they tend to crack. Here are some suggestions to make a perfect cheesecake.

• Ingredients: Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
• White Gourmet Chocolate: Gourmet chocolate such as Callebaut Chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate or Lindt white chocolate are the best for this cheesecake. If chocolate chips are not available, make sure to chop the chocolate bars extra fine. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth. Make sure no water comes in contact with the chocolate or it will seize up. Remove and keep warm, you can always rewarm it later.
• Mixing: Do not over mix. Too much air in the batter causes bubbles that can cause cracking. Mix just until creamy and all lumps are gone. A high-speed Cuisinart mixer or similar, will make mixing easier.
• Baking pans: Springform pans are the easiest to use for cheesecake. Take the pan apart, line the bottom plate with aluminum foil, then reassemble the pan. Pull the excess foil up and around the pan to prevent any batter from leaking into the oven. Spray sides and bottom with vegetable spray.
• Baking: Put a cake pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven. Not all cheesecakes get baked at the same temperature. What does matter is that fluctuations in temperature can result in unsightly cracks. Resist the urge to open and close the oven door while baking. It is hard to tell when a cheesecake is done and you don't want to over bake it either, which again causes cracks. The cheesecake is generally done when the sides are set and a little puffy and the very center is slightly wiggly.
• Cooling: Cool slowly on a wire rack away from drafts and at an even temperature for 2-3 hours. Some people lay a piece of paper towel over the cheesecake (not directly on it) to keep in some of the moisture. Run a sharp knife around the sides. Leave cheesecake in the pan and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Run a sharp knife around the pan once more before releasing sides. Peel the foil off the underside of the pan, gently lift the cake with one hand and peel off the foil sliding the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
• Rescue: When all else fails, and you end up with an earthquake size fissure down the center, there is still hope. Fresh fruit and pie fillings, frosting, glaze, cookie crumbs and ganache can always cover a multitude of sins and your guests will never know the difference!
• Freezing: Cheesecakes freeze great so why not make two! Double wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 months.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe

Oreo Cookie Crust:

• 13 Oreo cookies or similar chocolate sandwich cookie, crushed fine
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature (3 - 8 ounce pkgs)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp unbleached white flour
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup white gourmet chocolate like Ghirardelli chocolate or Callebaut chocolate, melted with 2 Tbsp half-&-half
• 3/4 cup raspberry preserves, seedless

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place pan of hot water in bottom of oven.
2. Prepare 9 inch springform pan with foil and spray as directed above.
3. Mix crust ingredients and pat on the bottom of prepared pan.
4. Using a high-speed mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy.
5. Add eggs and beat until fluffy, scraping sides of bowl a few times and mixing after.
6. Add flour, almond extract, vanilla and salt, beat again and scrape down sides.
7. With mixer on medium speed, add melted white chocolate. Beat on medium just until mixed and creamy.
8. Pour half the batter into pan on top of crust.
9. Carefully and evenly spoon half the raspberry preserves on top of the batter. Do not let any preserves touch the sides of the pan.
10. Gently pour the remaining batter on top, being careful not to disturb preserves.
11. Place small amounts of remaining preserves around the top of the cheesecake. Using a sharp paring knife, carefully cut through the preserves and into the cheesecake to produce a swirled design.
12. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-70 minutes.
13. See above for further baking, cooling, serving and freezing instructions.
14. Serves 14

For more Easter desserts, try Chocolate Kahlua Mousse Pie and White Chocolate Brandy Almond Pie.

Fresh Raspberries

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Oreo Cookies

Cheesecake Batter

Oreo Cookie Crusts

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