Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Yes, this was baked as a birthday gift, but it’s really just another excuse to eat cheesecake. The sweltering August heat has me wishing for cooler fall weather, and baking with citrus and fall spices. I just couldn’t get myself to bake a true fall dessert, but I did sneak in a little citrus and cinnamon in this recipe. Orange zest and raspberry blend nicely with the pop of crunch from the lemon cookies on top. Don’t worry, you don’t have to bake the cookies. Simply get them here at Trytheworld. Be sure to enter code YDelicacies for a 15% discount. You'll also enjoy the sour cream topping swirled with raspberry preserves which adds a touch of sweetness to a very creamy cheesecake. This is the kind of cheese cake you’ll want to eat year-round.
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Servings: 8-12
Crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (6 oz. whole crackers)
1/2 cup butter, melted
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping
2 cups sour cream
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoon raspberry preserves
16 mini lemon cookies
Cheesecake
3 8oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs, room temperature
Special Equipment: 9-inch springform pan, piping bag, star tip
Crust
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In the bowl of a food processor pulse graham crackers until finely chopped. Add butter, salt and cinnamon and pulse until well combined.
3. Transfer to springform pan and using a straight sided cup press moistened crumbs into bottom of pan. Bake until fragrant, 5-8 minutes and remove from oven. Set aside and reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Topping
1. In a medium bowl mix the sour cream and granulated sugar together. Set aside.
2. In another medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and water until combined into a smooth buttercream. Set buttercream aside.
Cheesecake and Assembly
1. In the bowl of a food processor, blend the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, orange zest and vanilla until smooth. Scrape down sides and add eggs. Pulse until well combined.
2. Pour into crust and bake until the edges are set and center is still wobbly, 40-45 minutes.
3. Spread the sour cream topping on the cheesecake and smooth top. Drop little dots of raspberry preserves on top. Run a skewer or toothpick decoratively through the preserves, and return to oven until topping is set, about 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 3 hours.
5. Using a piping bag and a star tip, pipe 16 stars around the edge of the cheese cake. Place a cookie, upright, on top of each star and press down to secure in place. Chill until firm. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Do Ahead: Cheese cake can be make up to 3 days ahead and stored in a refrigerator. Add buttercream and cookies right before serving.
