Homemade Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
This rich raspberry cheesecake is sure to make your all-time-favorites list. It's rich, creamy, and elegant - and surprisingly easy to make!
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course cake
Cuisine American
Servings 12 slices
Calories 498 kcal
9" springform pan
medium saucepan
electric stand mixer
spatula
Fine-mesh strainer
cheesecloth
flat-bottomed glass
Raspberry Sauce
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
Crust
- 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 24 ounces brick-style, full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 0.5 cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
Raspberry Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water. Use a fork to crush the berries a bit. Stir frequently, cooking until the berries start to release their juices. Increase heat to nearly medium, to bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the berries are broken down and the liquid is deep pink to light red in color and slightly thickened.
Remove saucepan from heat and pour raspberry mixture through a very fine mesh strainer into a bowl. If your strainer is not fine enough to strain the seeds, line it with a double layer of cheesecloth first. Use a spatula to press on the raspberry mixture in the strainer, to get as much juice as possible from the berries. Measure out 2 teaspoons of raspberry seeds from the strainer and add them to the raspberry juice. Discard the rest of the seeds in the strainer. Set raspberry sauce aside to cool - you should have about ⅓ cup of raspberry sauce.
Crust
Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Very lightly spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter and stir until evenly combined.
Add the crust mixture to prepared 9" springform pan. Press mixture evenly up the sides, about 1¼" up (so the crust is as tall as the cheesecake filling), and onto the bottom of the pan. A flat-bottomed glass is helpful to gently and evenly press the crust mixture into place. Set crust aside.
Cheesecake Filling
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed, to ensure the mixture is free of lumps.
Add sour cream and vanilla to cream cheese mixture and mix on low speed until evenly combined.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. With mixer on low speed, very slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the cream cheese mixture. When nearly all combined, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix again to fully and evenly combine.
Assemble
Pour cheesecake filling over prepared crust and smooth the top with a spatula.
Add six 1-teaspoon sized dots of prepared raspberry sauce to the top of the filling, spacing the dots out as much as possible. Use the tip of a chopstick, or something similar in your kitchen drawer, to gently swirl the raspberry sauce through the cheesecake filling to create a pretty, swirly pattern. Cover and refrigerate remaining raspberry sauce; save for serving time.
Place cheesecake in oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until cheesecake is mostly set, with just the center being a little bit jiggly.
Now turn off the oven, crack the door open 3"-4", and let cheesecake sit in the oven undisturbed for 1 hour. Then remove cheesecake to a cooling rack to cool, until it is no longer warm. Once cooled, place in the refrigerator to chill and set for at least 6 hours. For the thickest, creamiest cheesecake texture, definitely chill overnight.
Serve slices of raspberry cheesecake with fresh raspberries and reserved raspberry sauce. Dollops of freshly whipped cream are always welcome, too!
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 8gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 314mgFiber: 1gSugar: 43g
Keyword baking, cream cheese, dessert, Homemade Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, raspberry cheesecake, Sweet