The Best Raspberry Cheesecake

Instructions

Prep

Preheat the oven: Set an oven rack in the lower half of the oven. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F) using top and bottom heating mode.
Wrap the pan: Grease the base and sides of a 20-cm/8” round springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2-3 layers of heavy duty aluminium foil, making sure to cover the base and fully up the sides of the pan.

Make the biscuit crust

In a large mixing bowl, slowly stir melted butter into the crushed biscuits until you get a wet sandy mixture.
Note: You may end up using less or needing more butter depending on the biscuits you use for the crust. You only need enough melted butter to moisten the crumbs so that the mixture holds together when pressed into the pan. The mixture should not feel too oily or get overly greasy.
Press the mixture into the base and up the sides of the prepared pan into an even layer. Use the back of a metal spoon or a glass cup with straight sides to help compress and smoothen the crust.
Note: Don't worry if you can't get edges that are perfectly level or if the crust ends up above or below the the halfway point on the sides.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and leave to cool. Then freeze until ready to use.
Note: If you prefer a soft crust, do not bake the crust and instead, freeze the crust after it's pressed into the pan until ready to use.

Make the raspberry puree

In a saucepan, heat up the raspberries and 1 tbsp sugar over medium heat until the raspberries soften and release their juices, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse the raspberry mixture 2 - 3 times (be careful as the cooked mixture is hot).
Pass the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl, stirring and mashing the mixture against the side and bottom of the sieve. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve, as puree will pool underneath as well. Discard the seeds.
Return the raspberry puree to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat (stirring regularly) to boil off the water content so the puree is reduced to ½ cup (about 120 grams) and is thick and almost paste-like but not jammy, another 6 - 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. ^{Note 1}
Note: The reduction time may be shorter or longer, depending on the heat you’re cooking over as well as how thick the puree is after blending and straining. Take your time as the more concentrated the puree is after reducing, the bolder its flavour will be in the cheesecake.

Make the raspberry cheesecake filling

To prepare the water bath, boil a kettle or pot of water.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat room-temperature cream cheese at low-medium speed until smooth and free of lumps, about 4 minutes. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, salt and corn starch.
With the mixer running, add the sugar-starch mixture. Continue beating at low-medium speed until the cream cheese mixture lightens, about 4 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl to get all of the cream cheese evenly incorporated.
Add the vanilla extract and beat for 10 seconds.
Add the eggs and additional yolk, one at a time, beating well for 40-45 seconds after each addition.
Reduce mixer speed to the lowest speed. Stir in the sour cream until well mixed.
Optional (but highly recommended): Strain the cream cheese mixture through a fine-meshed sieve to remove any and all lumps. Make sure you scrape underneath the wire mesh as well.
Lastly, add the slightly cooled raspberry puree and stir until well combined. The final cheesecake batter should be smooth, thick, and of a uniform pink colour without streaks.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the cooled crust, filling it almost to the brim. Smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Bang the pan on the counter 2-3 times to eliminate air bubbles.
Place the foil-wrapped pan on a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the cheesecake pan with some space around it. Put the roasting pan in the oven and fill it with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the foil-wrapped pan.
Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecake have puffed up slightly and are quite firm, but the centre 2-3 inches are still jiggly/wobbly. Do not over-bake. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door ajar with a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake bask in the water bath for an hour.
The jiggle test: Look at the edges of the cheesecake - they should be slightly puffed. Gently tap the sides of the cheesecake pan a couple of times with a wooden spoon and observe the surface. The cheesecake is perfectly done when the edges are quite firm while the centre 2-3 inches are slightly jiggly or wobbly like barely set Jell-o.
Carefully remove the foil-wrapped pan from the roasting pan. Remove the foil (be careful as some hot water may have seeped in between the foil layers).
Run a thin-bladed knife around the edges to make sure the cheesecake isn't sticking to the pan (helps avoid cracks as the cheesecake settles). Let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature on a wire rack.
Once cool, cover the top of the springform pan lightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Make the raspberry sauce

In a saucepan, combine 200 grams of raspberries (reserve the remaining 200 g fresh raspberries for later), sugar and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat until the raspberries soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse the raspberry mixture 2 - 3 times (be careful as the cooked mixture is hot).
Pass the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl, stirring and mashing the mixture against the side and bottom of the sieve. Be sure to scrape the puree at the bottom of the sieve as well. Discard the seeds.
Return the raspberry puree to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat to reduce it further, another 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the corn starch and water to make a thin slurry.
Add the corn starch slurry to thicken slightly. The goal is to get a raspberry reduction that's thick like a glaze but not jammy. Take the saucepan off the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, butter, and raspberry liquor (optional). Set aside to cool. ^{Note 1}
Set aside 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Gently fold in the fresh raspberries in the remaining sauce until well coated ^{Note 2}. If the sauce is a bit too thick, loosen with a bit of water, 1 - 2 teaspoons. Make sure all the fresh raspberries are evenly coated in the sauce.

Serve the raspberry cheesecake

Release the cheesecake from the pan. Spread the 2 tablespoons of reserved raspberry sauce over the surface. Spoon the sauce-coated raspberries over the top of the cheesecake and garnish with extra fresh raspberries if desired.
To get clean slices, dip the blade of a non-serrated knife in hot water and wipe dry with a paper towel. Slice down into the cheesecake until you cut into the crust. Repeat dipping the blade in hot water and wiping dry before every cut.

The Best Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the biscuit crust

For the raspberry puree

For the raspberry cheesecake filling

For the raspberry sauce

Instructions

Prep

Make the biscuit crust

Make the raspberry puree

Make the raspberry cheesecake filling

Make the raspberry sauce

Serve the raspberry cheesecake

Notes

Nutrition Information: