White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

I made a cheesecake. It was scrumptious, but took about ten hours to make. I will be reminding myself from now on to not pick the trickiest recipe ever and start it at 9 pm the night before the baby shower that you are supposed to bring it to. Your husband might have to stay up until 3 am to put it in the fridge for you when it's done cooling.

 

Seriously though, this cake was heavenly. One of my girlfriends got me the Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook a few years ago and until now I was too chicken to attempt any of the recipes.

 

I didn't have a chance to take any pictures but luckily my aunt snapped one before a bunch of hungry ladies in dresses ate it all up.

 

P.S. I was one of the hungry ladies in a dress. A dress (shudder).
 

 

Junior's White Chocolate & Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Junior's Sponge Cake Crust (see recipe below)
10 ounces frozen whole raspberries, thawed and drained well
5 tablespoons cornstarch
8 ounces white chocolate
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (full fat), softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
6 ounces fresh raspberries (garnish)
White chocolate curls (garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom (not the sides) of a 9-inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending up the sides. Make and bake the cake crust and leave it in the pan. Keep the oven on.

2. Pulse the thawed raspberries in your food processor or blender until pureed (you need 3/4 cup of puree). Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and set aside. It will slightly thicken as it stands. Melt the white chocolate and set aside. White chocolate is delicate and can scorch easily. Melt in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly or microwave uncovered on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a spoon, then repeat 2-3 times until completely melted. It's important to stir because white chocolate keeps its shape so that it doesn't appear melted when it really is. Too much heat can curdle and ruin the chocolate.

3. Put one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Beat in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the melted white chocolate, then the cream, just until completely blended. Be careful not to over mix.

4. Gently spoon the batter on top of the crust. Using a teaspoon, drop the raspberry puree in spoonfuls on top of the batter, pushing it down slightly as you go. Using a thin, pointed knife, cut through the batter a few times in a figure eight design, just until red swirls appear.

5. Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake until the edges are light golden brown and top is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool for 2 hours. Leave the cake in the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, overnight.

6. Decorate the top with the fresh raspberries and chocolate curls when ready to serve.


Junior's Sponge Cake Crust (for one 9-inch cake crust)

1/3 cup sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 extra large eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops pure lemon extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom (not the sides) of a 9-inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending up the sides.

2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

3. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until thick light yellow ribbons form, about 5 minutes more. Beat in extracts.

4. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand, just until no more white flecks appear. now, blend in the melted butter.

5. Now, wash the mixing bowl and beaters really well (if even a little fat is left, this can cause the egg whites not to whip). Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl and beat with the mixer on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites will stand up and look glossy, not dry). Fold about one third of the whites into the batter, then the remaining whites. Don't worry if you still see a few white specks, as they'll disappear during baking.

6. Gently spread out the batter over the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden (not wet or sticky) about 10-12 minutes. Touch the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, its done. Watch carefully and don't let the top brown. Leave the crust in the pan and let cool.

 

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P.S. The top of the cheesecake got a bit darker than I would have liked. I might have to cover it halfway through next time around to see if that makes a difference.

P.S.S. Coops just emptied a container of about 200 wipes all over the living room. He was pretending to wash stuff and it was cute so I let him. He's exploring, right?

P.S.S.S. I had three photo sessions last week and three more coming up next week. With lots of other stuff going on around here I am officially swamped. My house is a complete disaster and I can't even remember when I cooked a decent supper. Ahhhhhhhh!