White Chocolate Raspberry Lime Cheesecake

Yield: one 9-inch cheesecake
Recipe: 69/200
“Back to Baking”, pp. 164

    Oh how I love the richness and sweetness of cheesecakes. So much deliciousness in one dessert is probably frowned upon in some parts of the world (sadly!). This recipe is very unique in the sense that it is at least as good as a traditional cheesecake, but contains fresh raspberries and also has hints of lime and white chocolate. The lime cuts down on the sweetness a bit while the white chocolate provides an additional layer of flavour. Another unusual ingredient for a cheesecake is the sour cream, which makes for a less rich cheesecake that is just as scrumptious. I would never have thought to combine these eclectic ingredients together, but they totally work! If you are craving an excellent yet less rich cheesecake, this is definitely the recipe to try. 

Ingredients for crust:

• 1/2 recipe Snickerdoodles, processed into crumbs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for filling:

• 2 packages (8 oz/250 g each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 4 oz (125 g) white chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup fresh raspberries, plus extra for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In a bowl, stir the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and press them into the bottom and halfway up the side of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes and cool while preparing the filling.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Beat the cream cheese and flour until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Slowly pour in the sugar while beating and scrape the sides of the bowl 2-3 times while adding.
5. Beat in the sour cream, lime juice and zest, and vanilla extract until well blended. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
6. One at a time, add the eggs and the egg yolk, beating well at low speed after each addition.
7. By hand, fold in the white chocolate and raspberries. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust.
8. Place the pan on a baking tray and bake for about 40 minutes (it took my oven more like one hour !), until the outside edges of the cheesecake are set but the centre still has a little jiggle to it. Cool the cheesecake to room temperature, then chill until set, at least 6 hours.

Notes from Anna:

• Crumbs from any other buttery sugar cookies could be used in place of Snickerdoodles.
• Just before placing it in the refrigerator to chill, run a palette knife around the inside edge of the springform. This allows to separate the cheesecake from the pan so that if it contracts, it will pull away from the sides of the pan and will be less likely to crack in the middle.

Valerie