A visually captivating cheesecake infused with the lusciousness of white chocolate, interlaced with ribbons of raspberry puree. Lime’s zesty essence balances the creamy sweetness, making this dessert an indulgence that’s hard to resist.
Yield: 16 servings
ingredients:
Crust:
- Soft butter (for greasing)
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled shortbread cookies (approx. 10 cookies)
- 1 cup toasted hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tsp minced lime zest
Raspberry Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or unsweetened frozen raspberries (defrosted & drained)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
Filling:
- 8 oz white chocolate, chopped
- 2 lbs cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp minced lime zest
- 2 tbsp whipping cream
directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan (at least 2 3/4 inches deep) with butter. Wrap the outside of the pan (bottom and sides) with a sheet of heavy-duty foil.
- Prepare the crust: Place cookies, hazelnuts, and sugar in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add melted butter and lime zest; process until moist crumbs form. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool.
- Prepare the raspberry sauce: Puree raspberries in a food processor or blender. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to press raspberries through a strainer to remove seeds. Measure 1/2 cup of strained puree into a small bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon lime juice. Set the sauce aside.
- Prepare the filling: Place white chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler over barely simmering water; stir often and remove from the stove as soon as it melts (chocolate should be just hot enough to melt).
- Place cream cheese in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar and mix until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in flour. Add eggs, two at a time, mixing smoothly after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl twice during mixing. Mix in vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix in whipping cream and melted white chocolate.
- Assemble the cheesecake: Place the springform pan in a roasting pan with sides at least 2 inches high. Pour the batter into the cooled crust in the springform pan.
- Use a small spoon to drizzle the raspberry sauce over the batter, leaving a 1-inch plain edge. Dip a spoon or a small sharp knife gently into the batter and swirl some of the sauce into the batter, leaving some swirls of sauce on top of the batter in a marbleized pattern. Do not disturb the crumb crust.
- Bake: Put the baking pan containing the springform pan in the oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan to reach 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until when you give the cheesecake a gentle shake, the top looks firm.
- Cool: Cool the cheesecake, covered loosely with paper towels, in the water bath in the larger pan for 1 hour on a wire rack. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove paper towels and cool for 1 hour more. The cheesecake should feel cool to the touch. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Serve: Cut into wedges and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint or leftover raspberry sauce. Enjoy!
Tip:
This cheesecake can be frozen for up to a month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving.
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