White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake

David and I went to an end-of-the-year dinner for a class I was taking at church, and I offered to bring dessert.  I thought a cheesecake would be a good idea, and I eventually settled on this one.  I thought raspberry would be perfect for the warmer weather, and the combination of white chocolate and raspberry is so good.  This recipe is actually supposed to be a copy of a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, but I have never been there, so I don’t know how they compare.

This cheesecake came together easily.  I have said before on this blog that I am not a huge cheesecake fan, but that is starting to change.  I’m still not crazy about plain cheesecakes, but I love the ones that have added flavors such as this one.  I really enjoyed the way the raspberry flavor came out, and the white chocolate was a subtle, but welcome addition.  The cheesecake had a great smooth and creamy texture.  I am a believer in baking cheesecakes in a water bath.  In my experience, it makes for a smoother cheesecake, and I’ve never had a cheesecake crack on me.  Even if a recipe does not call for baking in a water bath, I do it anyway.  Just make sure you wrap the pan well in aluminum foil!  I was up late baking this the night before and forgot this step.  A little bit of water seeped in, but it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t affect the taste.  The recipe uses a chocolate crust, but David and I both agreed that a graham cracker crust would probably be even better.  He is a big fan of raspberry cheesecake and told me that I should make this again 🙂  This was a big hit with everyone- we have a lot of dessert lovers in our class!

White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake
Source: adapted from RecipeZaar

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used cookie crumbs from these Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies, but you can use Oreos, chocolate graham crackers, or regular graham crackers)

crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)

1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

1/4 cup water

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 eggs

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Optional Garnish

2 ounces shaved white chocolate (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Create a water bath by placing a large pan filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats.

Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds, then let the strained preserves sit to the side to cool.

Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side.

Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to incorporate the eggs.

 

Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust.

Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate.