In honor of the upcoming holiday where couples put each other to the test and singles convince themselves that they are the happiest they have ever been- I'm talking Valentine's Day people - here is a recipe to convince your man you can cook, convince your woman you are sensitive and thoughtful, and convince yourself that one more bite won't hurt (you'll get to the gym tomorrow). Below you will find the recipe for an easy and impressive Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Graham Crust!
Ingredients you will need:
1 chocolate pre-made crust (right next to the regular graham cracker crusts in the baking aisle)
1 cup of frozen raspberries (fully thawed dont rush it!)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese room temperature (I used regular, but you can try with 1/3 less fat - do not use fat free!)
2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz. white chocolate melted
Tools you will need:
Measuring cups and spoons
Measuring cups and spoons
Toothpick or skewer
Food processer
Hand mixer
Large bowl
Pot and glass bowl (double boiler)
Oven
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. I made the mistake of preheating mine to 350 so that is why it is brown on top.
Combine raspberries and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a food processor until smooth.
Using an electric mixer, combine room temperature cream cheese and remaining sugar ( 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon) until smooth.
Add eggs and yolks one at a time beating a little after each addition. Use a small spatula to scrap down the sides a bit to get it well mixed!
Add the flour and vanilla.
Using a double boiler technique melt the chocolate. A double boiler is simply water in a pot with a glass or metal bowl over top on low heat to slowly melt chocolate. Keep a close eye on it so you dont burn the chocolate. To find a good tutorial click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2UGOZMd9qM
Fold in the melted white chocolate and pour the entire mixture into the premade crust. Don't fill it up too high it will puff up a little when you bake and you still need to add the raspberry!
Once you have the mixture setled into the crust, drop the raspberry puree into the cheesecake mixture.
Using a toothpick or a skewer, stick the pick or skewer into the raspberry and swirl it around the create a marble effect.
I got a little carried away, but it was fun so just make sure you have fun.
Bake in the 250 degree oven for an hour and 15 minutes checking occasionally that it doesn't get too brown. Let it cool for at least too hours and then refrigerate before serving.
