Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Our raspberries just started to ripen over the past weekend, almost two weeks later than normal. But that comes as no surprise after it took so achingly long for our Midwestern winter, followed by a cold and extra rainy spring, to finally depart.
Which makes these vibrant and tasty garden delights seem all the more well deserved!
Picking and enjoying fresh raspberries from the yard feels very natural to me. Growing up on the farm, we had a large raspberry patch, and spent a great deal of time tending to it. I can still envision Mom gently washing the buckets of berries at the sink and the late night bowls of vanilla ice cream toppled with ruby heavenlyness.
When Blake and I were considering buying our current home, the already established raspberry patch was a definite plus in my book. And, since moving in, our family has enjoyed every last bite!
When our berries hit their peak week of producing, we can pick almost a gallon bucket of berries every day. It’s impossible for us to consume them all before they spoil. While we eat plenty of fresh berries every day, and give them away to grateful friends and neighbors, there still needs to be a plan to make sure none of them goes to waste.
We freeze some for future use. And we make a couple batches of our favorite quick and easy Raspberry Blackberry Freezer Jam. It’s so fabulous smeared on a piece of buttery toast, a warm popover, or a fresh steaming yeasted waffle.
And when I’m feeling really indulgent…
I make this Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake!
Do you want to know my criteria for cheesecake recipes?
- First of all, the cheesecake can’t be wimpy in stature. I pass by any recipe that doesn’t use at least 24 ounces of cream cheese. If you’re going to make a cheesecake, it might as well be eye catchingly tall and indulgent!
- It needs to incorporate a hot water bath during baking. I find this method just works better, by eliminating (most) cracking.
And a plus would be that the recipe includes sour cream, as I like its texture and tang. Although this Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake does not have any sour cream in it, it does fit my main bullet points, and I think it’s one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever made (or ate anywhere!). It’s super creamy and luscious, delicately tangy, and swirled with the softly sweet taste and scent of fresh raspberries. The beautiful berry marbling always elicits oohs and ahhs. Every time I make it, I’m reminded of the expression on my mother-in-law’s face when I made this for the first time on her birthday many years ago. I thought she was going to cry.
This cheesecake really is special enough for tears of joy. And I do hope you’ll find that out for yourself by giving this tried and true recipe a go.
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake is a delicious dessert to serve any time of year, but it's especially tasty in the spring and summer when you can use your own freshly-picked raspberries! This rich raspberry cheesecake is sure to make your all-time-favorite-cakes list.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CRUST:
- 1 c. finely ground graham crackers
- 2 T. unsalted butter, melted
- 2 T. sugar
- FOR THE RASPBERRY PUREE:
- 6 oz. raspberries
- 2 T. sugar
- FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
- 32 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1-1/2 c. sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ALSO NEEDED:
- boiling water for the hot water bath
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Wrap the exterior of a 9″ springform pan, including the base, with a double layer of foil. Set aside.
- For the crust, stir together cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
- Heat water for the hot water bath (to prevent cracking). Set a medium pot of water on the stove to boil.
- Prepare the raspberry puree by processing raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a fine sieve into a small bowl, to remove most of the seeds. Discard the solids. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons sugar and set aside.
- Time for the cream cheese filling! Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer on low speed, add 1-1/2 cups sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add salt and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined. Do not overmix! Pour cream cheese filling over your baked crust.
- Drop raspberry puree by the teaspoon on top.
- With a wooden skewer or toothpick, swirl sauce into filling. You should have some raspberry puree left over. Save it to serve with your slices of cheesecake. (Or it makes for an awesome raspberry lemonade!)
- Now for the hot water bath. Set cake pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of cake pan. Carefully transfer roasting pan to oven. Alternatively, you can set the cake pan inside the roasting pan, place it in the oven and then ladle the boiling water into the roasting pan. Whatever you feel more comfortable with is fine by me. Bake until cake is mostly set, with just a slight bit of jiggle in the center, 60 to 70 minutes. Don’t wait until the cake is completely set, as you run a higher risk of cracking.
- Transfer cake pan to rack to cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 6 hours. Letting it set overnight is even better. It firms up and gets completely chilled. Before unmolding the springform pan, run a knife around the edge of the cake. Serve slices with some freshly whipped and slightly sweetened cream, a drizzle of left over raspberry puree, and a sprinkling of fresh raspberries, if desired.
Notes
I have been making this for a number of years, adapted from a page torn out of Martha Stewart Living. You can also find the original recipe online at marthastewart.com.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 498Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 314mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 43gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
I’m making this cake today for a friend’s birthday..fingers crossed it looks and tastes as good as your one..In the oven now…the long wait begins…..
Thanks..
Hello! Do let me know how this turns out for you. I can smell it baking from here!
Hi turned out really good…have put up a picture on my flickr page…thanks a ton..everyone loved it. & looking forward to more cooking from your awesome blog….cheers…
It looks great – YAY! Thanks so much for returning to let me know!
I love the comment from “Mom” – sounds like something I would post on my daughter’s blog. :)
The cheesecake is gorgeous, and the raspberries make such a beautiful presentation. That is my favorite kind of cheesecake – one without flour – because it is so creamy. The raspberries would provide such a nice flavor combo.
A raspberry bush (or any kind of established berry bush) would be a BIG draw to me if I was looking for a house. ;)
So nice to hear from you, Linda – thanks!! And, yes, I love comments from Mom. :)
OH MY GOODNESS!! I am such a cheesecake fanatic and this is simply gorgeous!! I can’t wait to make this one weekend.
So nice to hear from you! I’d love to know what you think of this!
What a sweet looking cake! Your photos are lovely! Glad to find your blog! Now following RSS..
Thank you – for your lovely comment, your following along via RSS, and for just plain introducing yourself! :)
looks great i bet it is delicious
This looks absolutely heavenly! We had a large raspberry patch growing up. I have lots of fond memories of the hours I spent in the berry patch with my family. I am definitely saving this recipe to try in a couple of weeks when I get fresh berries from my parents. :)
Oh my gosh, this looks amazing and how blessed you are to have that supply of raspberries!
Wow! This cake is gorgeous. You have a gift for cheesecakes. Love the vivid colors. I’d like to invite you to share your recipe on A Well-Seasoned Life’s Sweet Indulgences Sunday.
http://www.wellseasonedlife.com/2011/07/sweet-indulgences-sunday-13.html
Thanks, Kim – and nice to meet you!
That cheesecake looks absolutely amazing and is such a sight to behold. I doubt I’ll be able to get my grubby little hands on fresh raspberries, but I’m hoping frozen might do for this recipe?
Hi Melissa – I definitely think frozen raspberries would work for this, since it’s a puree. It might not have that brightness to the red, but I think you would get mostly the same effect and flavor.
What a GORGEOUSLY perfect cheesecake! You must have been so chuffed when it turned out so beautifully, well i know i would have been anyway! :) I can only imagine how wonderful it tastes too, cant resist anything raspberry :) Such a lovely post
It’s so beautiful :)
Very pretty… I’m sure it’s just delicious!
Thank you, Emily – lovely to hear from you!
This cheesecake looks just beautiful! I walked through the farmers’ market today and was just overwhelmed by the beautiful raspberries. What a perfect use for them!
So nice to hear from you, Katie! Raspberries are such a treat, and this is a lovely way to treat your family and friends.
Even your Dad thought the cheesecake looked irresistible!
I was just thinking… “I wonder if Farm Girl has some ideas for raspberries”.
I am going picking next week. Thank you!
Every time I am looking for ideas I go to your site first and you always have something I love!!
What a lovely note – thank you so much, Liz! Hope you like the cheesecake!
Wow! I’ve never seen a more beautiful cheesecake! I would love to try this if I could find fresh raspberries.
Stunning!
Gorgeous!!
This is the most gorgeous cheesecake I’ve ever seen! I’d bet it tastes amazing too.
Thanks, Miss! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
WOW, this just looks amazing. I love a good cheesecake and this one is calling my name.
Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook