White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

There are two desserts at the top of my Favorite Desserts of all Time list:
1. Chocolate Cake (my next baking adventure)
2. Cheesecake

Now that I have improved my techniques with cheesecake, I felt it necessary to start mixing up the flavors a little. First up: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake.

I think this is my favorite cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, so how can I NOT try and imitate it? I used low fat cheesecake (although the recipe says not to) and Splenda so lower the calorie count and fat of this dessert. I'm all about making my desserts diabetic friendly, although nobody around me is diabetic. Eh...who doesn't like a semi-guilt-free dessert?

So here we go...


I noticed that Oreos are sweet enough that you don't need to add any sugar to the crust, only melted butter. I replaced the sugar with Splenda, and threw the frozen raspberries in the blender with some sugar and water to quicken up the prep time. Just run the pureed raspberries through a sieve before heating it up. Also, I needed to bake my cheesecake for an extra 20 minutes or so...weird that the timing was so off from the recipe.

Here's the recipe as adapted from All Recipes:

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (I used about 17 Oreos)
  
• 3 tablespoons white sugar (Didn't use this)
  
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar or sugar substitute
  
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream (Didn't have this on hand, so I used 1/2 cup milk with a little melted butter)
  
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar or sugar substitute
  
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.