Here's the recipe -- it's a long one, tho. I've included a much shorter & easier one also, if you don't have a lot of time to read!
1 C. chocolate wafer cookie crumbs 1 C sugar + 3 Tb. sugar, divided 3 Tb. melted butter or margarine 2 pkg. (8 oz. ea.) cream cheese, softened 1 Tb. corn starch 3 eggs, room temperature 2 Tb. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. sour cream
Preheat oven to 325°. Grease an 8" springform pan. In a small bowl, combine crumbs, melted butter & 3 Tb. sugar. Pat crumb mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and bake for 10 min.; cool on a wire rack.
Beat cream cheese & 1 C. sugar on med. speed 'til very smooth. Beat in corn starch. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat 'til smooth. Fold in lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt and cream cheese. Pour onto crust, and bake for 1 hour, or until it's firm 2" from the side. Turn off the oven, and let cool in oven 30 min. Remove from oven and cool to room temp. on a wire rack. Then place in fridge several hours or overnight. Remove springform sides.
White Chocolate Frosting
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 6 oz. white chocolate (such as Lundt or Bakers), melted and cooled to room temp. 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine 1 Tb. lemon juice
Beat all the ingredients in the order given, making sure the mixture's smooth and creamy. You may need to stop every so often to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Set aside 1 cup of the frosting. Use the remaining frosting on the sides and top of the cheesecake, taking care not to mix any of the crumbs into the frosting. Spoon the remaining frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe a pretty border around the bottom of the cheesecake (on top of the crumbs to hide them). If there is sufficient icing remaining, pipe a matching border around the top of the cheesecake as well.
Raspberry Glaze
3/4 C. raspberry jelly 2 Tb. creme de cassis or framboise 1-1/2 Tsp. cornstarch 1-1/2 C. fresh raspberries (or thawed and *carefully* drained)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the jelly with the creme de cassis and cornstarch (to avoid lumps, pour the liqueur onto the cornstarch to liquify it first before adding to the jelly), and stir constantly 'til smooth and boiling gently. Remove from heat and let cool to room temp. Arrange the berries on top of the frosted cheesecake and gently spoon the glaze over them.SHORT VERSION:
1-1/2 lb. softened cream cheese 3 eggs 3/4 C. sugar 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
Beat the cream cheese 'til smooth. Add the sugar & vanilla and continue beating. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating 'til smooth. (You might need to scrape down the bowl.) Pour into a greased 8" springform pan (with no crust) and bake at 375° for 20 min. Turn off oven and let set for 15 min. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp. Then chill while you make the frosting.
Frosting
12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips 8 oz. heavy (whipping) cream
Pour whipping cream into a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Remove and stir in the chips 'til smooth. LET COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. Remove the springform sides and gently frost the cheesecake. (This is more of a thick glaze than a frosting, and you won't be able to use a pastry bag to further decorate it.)
Raspberry glaze
10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed, juice reserved 1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
Mash the raspberries into a strainer to remove as much of the juice as possible. Mix 1 Tb. of the juice with the cornstarch 'til smooth. Heat the remaining raspberry juice to a gentle boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring 'til thick. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Pour over the glazed cheesecake. |