White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

With summer in full swing we have been enjoying several weekend visitors which of course means entertaining! Yay! While my Taste Tester sticks to grilling up new reicpes, I take the opportunity to try new dessert recipes!

With my mom and aunt in town last weekend I knew I wanted to make a cheesecake. Each time they visit I always whip one up and we more than enjoy it all weekend long! This time was no exception. I knew I wanted to use fruit but wasn’t feeling strawberries. My Taste Tester smiled and said “yes please” when I was brainstorming a white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry swirls. Sold.

This recipe is based on other cheesecakes I have made over the years. I cheated and used seedless organic raspberry jam instead of making my own. I just didn’t have the time and to be honest, it was great even with the store-bought stuff. If you have time or super ambitious, feel free to whip up your own. If not; welcome to my life and just buy some (good quality of course).

The cheesecake itself was creamy and dense (just the way I like it). The white chocolate flavor was subtle but good. I originally wanted to have a chocolate crust (um, hello, chocolate-addict here) but I used a graham cracker crust because the Taste Tester doesn’t care for Oreos. What??? I know. It is the burden I must live with. I was surprised, however, and really enjoyed the graham cracker crust and would  not use a chocolate  crust in the future unless it was requested.

Because I used jarred jam I was able to whip this up and get it in the oven in about 15 minutes, can’t beat that! I also love the fact that cheesecake needs to set in the fridge for a couple days to reach the desired flavor and texture so I made this on Wednesday to enjoy over the weekend. I love not having to rush around last minute when I could be cleaning (yeah right).

I would highly recommend this cheesecake, play around with the filling a bit and try another fruit flavor. I do feel that the white chocolate flavor could be a bit more complex so I would like to either add more next time or pick a brand with a more dominant flavor.  Let me know if you find a winner!

I rate this an 8.5

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
16-18 graham crackers crushed
2 TBS sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

6 oz white chocolate bars (not chips)
24 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 TBS flour
1 jar seedless Raspberry Jam

Fresh Raspberries for Garnish
White chocolate for garnish (melted) when ready to use

*TIP: I like to line the bottom of my pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with PAM.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325F.
In a food processor, process the graham crackers until you have fine crumbs. . Add in the sugar and pulse. Stir in melted butter. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
Place a baking pan filled half way with water on the bottom oven rack (this will help keep cheesecake moist while baking to help prevent a crack. I like this method better than a traditional water bath) Just make sure there is always water in it while the cheesecake is baking.
Melt white chocolate in the microwave in 15 second intervals stirring after every interval until smooth. Do NOT over cook, you can stir lumps out wihtout reheating toward the end. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese to break it up and soften it slightly, about 5 seconds. Continue mixing and add the sugar, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to medium low and add the eggs, 1 at a time. Beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl before each addition. Add the flour and beat just til combined. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until blended. Do NOT overmix.

Pour 1/2 the cheesecake mixture into pan.
Heat jam in microwave just until easily pourable but not too runny.
Spoon 1/2 the jam over the cheesecake batter and swirl with a knife. Pour the remaining batter over the jam carefully. Drop spoonsfull of the rest of the jam over the cheesecake. Carefully swirl but do not go through to second layer or it will not be swirled (just pink).

Bake until the center jiggles slightly, the sides start to puff, and the surface is no longer shiny, about 55 to 60 minutes. The center should read about 150 degrees F. Turn off the oven and prop the door of the oven open with a potholder or wooden spoon. Allow the cake to cool in the oven for about an hour. Transfer the springform pan to a wire rack and run a small paring knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Let it sit to room temperature for 2 hours.

Before serving top with raspberries and drizzle with melted white chocolate