xmas 2018 - white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake

xmas 2018 - white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake

• 18 Dec 2018

Welcome to Day 2 of Christmas Week 2018. A few years ago I bookmarked a recipe for a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. When I finally made it, I was really disappointed with the result. I cooked the cheesecake in a water bath without pre-baking the crust, so the crust was really pale. The filling was too set for my liking and all the raspberries floated to the top. The filling tasted more of white chocolate than cheesecake so I went back to the drawing board and rejigged the recipe.



This time I pre-baked the crust, discarded the water bath and baked the cheesecake in the oven. Although the cheesecake cracked while cooling in the switched off oven, I didn't mind a bit because it tasted as I hoped it would and I'd always planned to cover the cake with a layer of cream and raspberries.



Here's the rejigged recipe for you. Ideally start this recipe the day before serving as the cheesecake needs time to cool. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C. If you'd like to make a 23 cm cheesecake, just double all the ingredients and cook for the same length of time.

White chocolate and raspberry cheesecake - makes a 17cm cheesecake.

Base 

55 grams unsalted butter 

1 tbs caster sugar 

½ cup plain flour  

¼ tsp vanilla

Filling 

60g white chocolate, chopped

60mls cream

375 gram cream cheese, softened 

⅓ cup caster sugar 

1 tsp cornflour

1 egg 

1 egg yolk 

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ tsp grated lemon rind

150g raspberries, fresh or frozen 

Topping

½ cup double cream or whipped thickened cream

Extra raspberries

Icing sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease and line the base and sides of a 17 cm spring-form tin with baking paper. 

Place the butter, sugar, flour and vanilla into a food processor and whiz until a soft dough forms.  Remove the dough from the processor and gently press the mixture into the base of the spring-form tin. Bake the shortbread base in the preheated 180°C oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Set to one side and allow the base to cool. 

Filling

Heat the cream until just boiling in a small bowl in the microwave. Add the chopped white chocolate and allow to melt. Stir until smooth then set aside until cool.

Put the cream cheese, the caster sugar and the cornflour in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until smooth.  Add the egg, the yolk, the vanilla, the lemon rind and the cooled white chocolate mixture and blend until smooth. 

Sprinkle a few of the raspberries over the base. Pour half the filling over the cooked base; sprinkle the remaining raspberries before topping with the rest of the cheesecake mixture. Lower the oven temperature to 170°C then bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until the filling is almost set. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the turned off oven for an hour. When completely cool, store the cheesecake in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.

To serve cover with some double cream or whipped thickened cream before topping with a fe fresh berries and a light dusting of icing sugar.

See you all again tomorrow for Day 3 of Christmas week.

Bye for now,

Jillian