Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
This beautiful Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is incredibly creamy and packed full of chocolate raspberry flavor. It has a rich chocolate layer made with melted semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder as well as a pale pink layer made with a fresh raspberry puree and a dash of raspberry extract. It's topped with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries too! If layered cheesecakes are your thing, check out my strawberries and cream cheesecake too!
Oreo Cookie Crust
Let’s talk crust. There are plenty of options when it comes to the perfect cheesecake crust. I think the most popular cheesecake crust tends to be a graham cracker crust, but when there’s chocolate in a cheesecake, I always opt for an oreo cookie crust.
I always use a chocolate sandwich cookie for my chocolate cookie crusts. For it, it doesn’t matter whether it’s store brand or Oreos. They both taste pretty darn great with cheesecake on top. The sugary filling of the cookies provides the sweetness so I don’t have to add any additional sugar to the crust.
That’s right, this chocolate cookie crust only takes two ingredients, cookies and butter.
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How to make the Oreo Cookie Crust
The food processor is the quickest and easiest way to get your cookies processed into crumbs and to get the butter evenly distributed. Within minutes you’ll have your crust ready. If you don’t have a food processor, that’s okay too.
Place the sandwich cookies into a large storage bag and crush them with a rolling pin. I tend to do that when I’m too lazy to drag out the food processor and wash it up afterward. The crumbs tend not to be as fine, but they will do the trick.
Cheesecakes are my favorite thing to make and eat. They are just so delicious! If you want to try some other great cheesecakes, there’s the blackberry cheesecake or the triple chocolate cheesecake.
How to make the raspberry puree?
The raspberry puree for this chocolate raspberry cheesecake recipe can be made from fresh or frozen raspberries that have been thawed. Add the raspberries into a fine-mesh strainer with a bowl underneath to catch the puree. Pushed the raspberries through the strainer with a rubber spatula until the only thing left in the strainer are seeds. I despise raspberry and blackberry seeds so this was perfect.
You can also run the raspberries through a blender. It seems like everyone has a blender nowadays. Pour the puree through the fine-mesh strainer to be sure all the seeds are removed.
How do you make a layered cheesecake?
I started by creating one big bowl of cheesecake batter. When it comes to flavoring the 2 layers of cheesecake, I divided the batter evenly into two bowls. In the first bowl, I added raspberry extract. If you want to add food coloring to make the layer pinker, add it now.
In the second bowl, which is the chocolate layer, I melted the semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. To the semi-sweet chocolate, I then added ½ cup of the cheesecake batter base. Quickly mix until incorporated to keep the chocolate from seizing up or cooling off too much. After the melted chocolate is worked into the ½ cup of cheesecake batter, add the cocoa powder. Mix until thoroughly combined and then work it into the rest of the cheesecake.
The chocolate is a thicker consistency than the raspberry and would probably sink to the bottom. So to keep your layers nice, add the chocolate layer on the bottom and spread it evenly into the pan. Add the raspberry layer on top using a spoon and spreading out the batter.
Can you freeze chocolate raspberry cheesecake? Absolutely. It freezes, and it freezes well. To freeze the cheesecake, let it cool completely. Don't add the ganache or fresh raspberries on top. Once the cheesecake is cooled to room temperature, remove the sides of the springform pan and place it in the freezer on a baking tray until firm. This could take several hours.
After it's frozen, wrap it well in heavy-duty foil and place it back in the freezer. It can be stored for several months in the freezer.
To thaw this chocolate raspberry cheesecake, place in the refrigerator overnight. Garnish with the ganache and raspberries and serve!
Can you mix the chocolate raspberry cheesecake batter together instead of having layers? Yes! Instead of separating the batter, add the raspberry extract with the vanilla. Follow the steps for adding the ½ cup of cheesecake batter to the melted chocolate and adding in the cocoa powder.
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 20 chocolate sandwich cookies
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake
- 3 8 oz. bricks cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup raspberry puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons raspberry extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Ganache
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray and line the sides of the pan with strips of parchment paper. You can also opt for a nonstick baking spray with flour and forget the strips of parchment paper.
- Add the cookies in a food processor. Pulse until all of the cookies are just crumbs. Remove any large pieces of cookie.
- Add in the butter and pulse until the cookie crumbs resemble wet sand.
- Press the cookies into the bottom of the 9-inch springform pan.
- Place in the fridge or freezer while preparing the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Beat on medium with a hand mixer until the cream cheese is smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the sugar and beat until incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time. Beat each egg in before adding the next. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the sour cream, raspberry puree, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium until it's just incorporated. Scrape the sides and stir in any remaining sour cream or raspberry puree.
- Pour half of the batter into a separate bowl. Try to keep it as even as possible. I used a scale, but a measuring cup would work as well.
- Add the raspberry extract and food coloring, if you're using it, to one of the bowls of cheesecake batter. I left the food color out. Stir until everything is combined.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl by microwaving in 30-second increments and stirring after each increment. Repeat until the chocolate chips are completely melted.
- Add ½ of a cup of batter from the second bowl into the bowl with the melted chocolate. Immediately start stirring in the batter into the chocolate to avoid the chocolate seizing up or cooling down too much.
- Once the batter is incorporated, add the cocoa powder to the chocolate mixture. Stir until it's completely incorporated.
- Now pour the chocolate mixture into the second bowl of cheesecake batter. Stir to combine.
- Add the chocolate cheesecake batter to the springform pan first. Spread it out evenly.
- Slowly pour the raspberry cheesecake batter on top to avoid it plopping into the pan and disturbing the chocolate layer. Spread it out so it covers all of the chocolate batter. You can also spoon the raspberry batter on top instead.
- Wrap the springform pan with heavy duty tin foil. I like to do two layers of tin foil to keep the water out of the cheesecake. Place the cheesecake into a slightly bigger pan and fill with an inch to two inches of hot water.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes until done. To make sure the cheesecake is done, give it a wiggle. If it slightly jiggles in JUST the middle like jello, then it's done. If it jiggles on the edges, it needs to bake longer. Turn off the heat and crack the oven door slightly. Let it cool in the oven.
Ganache
- Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, begin making the ganache.
- Add the chocolate chips and heavy cream into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments and stir after each increment. Repeat until the ganache looks like a smooth chocolate syrup.
- Pour the ganache on top of the room temperature cheesecake. Place in the fridge until the ganache begins to thicken up. It will take 1 - 2 hours.
- Add the fresh raspberries on top of the ganache and place back into the fridge overnight or at least 6 hours for the cheesecake to firm up.
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
I posted this recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake first on Iambaker.net as a contributor.
