White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

This cake turned out really well - at least I think so - I have yet to impose it upon my friends!

It was SO nice to get back in the kitchen and make something new and sweet, especially after a seemingly endless amount of assignments, exams and general drama. So here it is:



Before it went in the oven



The final product

Having never done a baked cheesecake before, I have no idea whether I nailed it or not. But it tastes good! lots of pockets of raspberry explosions, and the hazelnut in the base really adds another 'dimension'. If you have never done a baked cheese cake or you find your having issues with it, check out Diana's Deserts. There are some great recipes and heaps of good tips - and not just for cheesecake!

So here is the recipe then - I made up a lot of it on the way and tested my judgement, but I think everyone should do this to get the end result that they want.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake:

Base:

approx. 140g of 'nice' biscuits - you can use 'digestives' or any other biscuit you want. Select the biscuits based on the flavour you want and the sweetness.

approx. 60g of hazelnut meal - again, use any nut meal of your preference, or alternatively, use 200g of biscuits and no nut meal

approx. 60 - 100g butter (melted)  

Filling:

500g Cream cheese - room temp

75g Caster sugar

3 large eggs - room temp

2tbsp of lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4tsp salt

3cups sour cream - room temp

300g GOOD white chocolate (I use Green & Black's Organic Chocolate)

300g Frozen Raspberries

a little extra sugar

 Oven Temp: 325F or 162C

 Time: 45min to 1 hour

1. Preheat oven. Blend biscuits and nut meal in a food processor till fairly fine. Add melted butter until you a mixture that is damp, but not wet. You want to be able to press it into the baking tin without it being either too liquidy, or too dry (it won't stick together nicely). Press it into a 10cm springform pan, over the base, partially covering the sides. Set aside

2.  Cream the cheese and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt, mix until combined. Add sour cream and cooled melted chocolate ***. Add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Pour into cake pan

3. Blend raspberries in a food processor until smooth. Add sugar to taste. Sugar takes the edge off the tartness of the raspberries, but it is easy to go too far and make it too sweet. I leave the seeds in because they are filled with so much good stuff - although it is a cheesecake we are talking about - and a lot of people don't like the texture of the seeds; push puree through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds. Alternatively add the raspberries in whole without blending into the mixture and pour into the pan.

4. Pour the raspberry puree over the cake in a circle, or any other pattern you'd like - then get a skewer, or tip of a knife and drag it through the puree and mixture to create any number of patterns :)

5. Alot of people advise baking the cake in a water bath (if using a springform tin, cover the outside a few times with alfoil to prevent water leaking into the cake). This slows the rate of the baking process and helps the cake cook more evenly. I don't have a pan that will fit my cake pan in so I just dropped the temp a bit, and put a pan with water in it on the shelf below (no idea if this actually did anything). Bake for 45min.

6. The cake should still be a bit wobbly in the middle, although a skewer will come out moist, but fairly clean when inserted - the cake is 'done'. Turn off the oven leaving the cake inside to cool (keep the oven door closed). After an hour or so, remove from the oven and cool for another 6 hours in the fridge before serving.

** Melting Chocolate: You can use the microwave but I've never gotten good results from this. Best bet is to melt it in a metal bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water (ensure water and bowl don't make contact). Use a metal or plastic spoon (wood will absorb some of the moisture). Continually take it off the heat and stir - the bowl and chocolate will retain heat and continue to melt/cook the chocolate once removed from the heat. This ensure you melt your chocolate perfectly and it is normally cool enough to add straight to the mixture without waiting for it to cool down.

That it! Enjoy!