I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, baking for me is very calming I love everything about the process and quite honestly, it’s likely one of the few times in my life that I’ll follow directions almost to a tee. So for a recent dinner party with the girls, I whipped up one of my go-to sweet treats, raspberry swirl cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust. While it sounds a bit indulgent, this is a dessert where a small amount goes a long way! And it’s the perfect combination with a little fruit and a bit of chocolate. My go-to recipe is this one from Martha Stewart but with a little Impossibly Imperfect twist on it.
Homemade Raspberry Swirl
- 6 Oz fresh raspberries (option 2: use frozen but ensure they have been thawed!)
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
Cheesecake Mixture
- 32 Oz Low-fat cream cheese (this should be at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 C Sugar
- 1 Tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- Dash of salt
Chocolate Cookie Crust
- 2 C ground chocolate cookie crumbs (pop about 1 sleeve of chocolate wafers into the food processor)
- 6 Tbsp Melted unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp Sugar
- 1/8 Tsp Salt
Directions:
Step One: The basics
Heat oven to 350°F
Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan and base with three layers of foil, ensure the base is tightly wrapped. Put off to the side.
Step Two: The Crust
Combine melted butter, sugar and crumbs in a bowl, press mixture firmly into the bottom of pan and press up the sides to about 1-inch from the top. Bake until set (estimate about 10 – 12 minutes) Remove from the oven, let cool and turn oven down to 325.
Step Three: Raspberry Sauce
Combine raspberries and sugar in the food processor until mixture is smooth, run the puree through a fine sieve into a bowl and set aside.
Step Four: Cheesecake
Combine all cream cheese in the bowl, mix on medium speed until fluffy. Put the mixer on a low speed setting and mix sugar in a slow pour. Mix in salt and vanilla, combining until well mixed. Add eggs into mixture one at a time. Pour cream cheese filling over crust.
Step Five: Pull It All Together
Take a baggie filled with the raspberry sauce and cut a tiny corner off (or use a piping bag if you have one), drop small drops of sauce across the top of the cake. Swirl the sauce and cheesecake mixture together using a toothpick. To bake cake, put the wrapped pan inside a large roasting pan and move to the oven. Pour boiling water into the pan until it reaches halfway up, no further! Bake for about an hour until it is set but still has some movement in the center. Remove from the oven, let it cool and refrigerate for at least 7 hours.
