Little girls are wonderful because even if they really don’t like you, their affection can always be bought with sweets. I learned this several years ago when my two cousins, who were 10 and 12 at the time, came over for a barbecue to spend some time getting to know my husband-to-be. He had previously found out the youngest had a birthday coming up, and like a Jedi master, deftly pulled the mother of all desserts out of his pastry arsenal: white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Little girls are helpless to its siren call. After that day, I think it’s no big secret they favor my husband to me. Sugar and cream cheese are indeed thicker than blood.
The rich chocolate crust, in my opinion, pulls it all together. Thin chocolate wafer cookies pulverized to a fine powder and gently held together with melted butter need to be pressed ever so carefully into a springform pan lined with parchment paper. Be painstaking about it, treating the crust like delicate sculpture. It must be sturdy and even to properly support the decadent white chocolate, cream cheese, and raspberry filling. Letting the fresh raspberries macerate in sugar before stirring them into the cream cheese mixture will take the edge off their tartness.
Crust
1 box chocolate wafer cookies
4-1/2 T sweet unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 tsp sugar
2 8-oz containers of cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
Topping
1 8 oz. Container sour cream
3 T sugar
½ tsp natural vanilla extract
Fresh whipped cream, for serving
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar onto the fresh berries and set aside. With a pencil, lightly trace around the bottom of a 9″ springform pan on a sheet of parchment paper, and cut out the circle. Line springform pan with parchment paper circle. Put the package of chocolate wafers in a blender or food processor and pulverize until finely ground. Melt the butter and mix gently into the cookie crumbs with a rubber spatula. With fingertips, carefully press the cookie crumb mixture onto to the bottom of the springform pan, and 1-1/2″ up the sides. Press gently but firmly to ensure the crust is evenly formed. Bake for 10 minutes, or until firm and set. Cool for 10 – 15 minutes.
Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or stainless steel bowl set over shallow saucepan of boiling water. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until fully melted over medium-high heat, making sure not to over-work so the white chocolate doesn’t separate. Immediately remove from heat. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Gently fold in melted white chocolate.
Carefully spoon half the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate crust. Dot the top with the macerated raspberries, and top with remaining cream cheese mixture. Bake until edges of cake are set but the inner center still moves when shaken, about 45 – 50 minutes. Using fingertips, gently press down on the outer edges of the cake.
To make the topping, whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla by hand until smooth. Spoon over cake, smoothing carefully, and bake for 5 minutes or until set. Cool cake completely, about 1-1/2 – 2 hours. Chill overnight.
When it’s time for dessert, gently unmold the cake and serve with fresh whipped cream.
by Amanda Jones
