White chocolate cheesecake swirled with homemade raspberry sauce and baked in a buttery sweet Oreo cookie crust!
I don’t know what it is about winter, but I’m always craving chocolate this time of the year.
Ok, who am I kidding? I’m ALWAYS craving chocolate no matter what time of year it is. It’s called being a human being. And with the constant temptation of heart-shaped truffle boxes and chocolate-covered strawberries in every single store, it’s rather impossible to escape.
Along with chocolate-covered strawberries, another classic combo that I see a lot of around Valentine’s Day is chocolate and raspberry. There’s just something so magical about this duo of flavors when they intermingle. While you typically see raspberry and dark chocolate paired together more often, I tend to gravitate toward the sweeter option–white chocolate and raspberry. Then again, I might be a little biased toward white chocolate.
So with that in mind, I decided to combine my love of sweet raspberries and creamy white chocolate in a GLORIOUS cheesecake…
Smooth, creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy, this Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake has the perfect balance of flavors and textures. The fresh raspberry swirl adds a little kiss of fruity flavor, and the Oreo cookie crust contrasts nicely with the sweet white chocolate cheesecake filling. It’s also not as dense or heavy as your typical cheesecake.
Unlike most cheesecake recipes which require a minimum of 4 packages of cream cheese, this recipe contains half that amount. Texture-wise, I’d say this cheesecake lies somewhere between a no-bake cheesecake and a traditional baked cheesecake. It’s much lighter, yet it’s still firmer than a slice of no-bake cheesecake.
To make this cheesecake EXTRA creamy, I added a good amount of sour cream–2 and 1/2 cups, to be exact. Don’t let this amount scare you though! It gives this cheesecake the most wonderful tang and creates that perfect, not-too-dense-not-too-light texture. Of course, if you still can’t get over the amount of sour cream in this recipe, you can aways substitute half of it with Greek yogurt to lighten the calorie load.
Believe it or not, the raspberry swirl actually starts with frozen raspberries. That’s because they’re going to be cooked down into a sauce with some sugar and cornstarch. Not only are frozen raspberries just as flavorful as fresh, but they’re much easier to get during the off-season. Plus, it’s kind of a waste to use beautiful fresh raspberries when you’re just going to cook them anyway.
Oh, and don’t forget to strain your raspberry sauce! I don’t know about you, but I prefer NOT to have millions of tiny seeds sticking in between every single nook and cranny of my teeth when eating a slice of cheesecake. No thank you!
In keeping with the chocolate theme of this cheesecake, I decided to go with an Oreo cookie crust. A graham cracker crust just seemed so “blah” to me, and I figured that the slightly bittersweet chocolate flavor of the Oreo would pair wonderfully with the sweet raspberry swirl.
I HIGHLY recommend baking this cheesecake in nothing smaller than a 10-inch springform pan. I made the mistake of baking it in a 9-inch, and needless to say, not all of the cheesecake stayed inside of the pan. It’s important to remember that the cheesecake will rise quite a bit as it bakes in the oven, so if there’s only a few centimeters between the top of the pan and the batter, you’ll end up with some overflowing. Luckily, I only lost a little off the top edges, which is nothing that a little whipped cream can’t cover up!
Sinfully sweet, lusciously creamy, and delightfully dreamy, this White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is guaranteed to make your taste buds sing the Hallelujah chorus.
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce:
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon water
- 7 ounces frozen raspberries
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
Crust:
- 18 Oreo cookies
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
Batter:
- 1 cup white chocolate chopped
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 2 ½ cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
To Decorate:
- Freshly-whipped cream
- Fresh raspberries
Instructions
Make the Raspberry Sauce:
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Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine the raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly while breaking up the raspberries as the mixture begins to cook.
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Once simmering, add the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring, and allow mixture to simmer for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and press mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Chill in the refrigerator while you work on the rest of the cheesecake.
Make the Crust:
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Preheat the oven to 325ºF and spray a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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Crush the Oreos in a food processor until finely ground. Add the melted butter and mix until all the crumbs are moistened. Press firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Remove from the oven, and reduce oven temperature to 275ºF.
Make the Batter:
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Place the white chocolate in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for one minute. Remove, stir, then microwave another 20-30 seconds until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat just until combined. Add the melted white chocolate and stir until smooth.
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Pour cheesecake batter into the cooled crust, smoothing out the top. Drop teaspoonfuls of the raspberry sauce on top, then use a skewer or toothpick to swirl throughout the batter. Bake for about 2 hours or until the sides of the cake are set (about 2 inches in) and the center still wiggles.
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Once done, turn the oven off and keep the oven door open a few inches. Allow cheesecake to sit in the oven for 1 hour before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours (I like to chill it overnight) or until completely chilled.
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Once chilled, decorate cheesecake with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Slice, serve, and enjoy!