Easy Baked Raspberry Cheesecake (Gluten Free Option)
You’ll love this incredibly rich and creamy baked raspberry cheesecake. It has the most amazing intense raspberry flavour and the raspberry sauce it a total revelation, adding a wonderful tangy freshness and transforming the cheesecake into a truly unforgettable dessert. It’s also incredibly easy to make, no water bath and no stand or hand mixer needed!
Servings 12
Ingredients
For cheesecake crust:
- 225 g (2 ¼ cups) finely crushed digestive biscuits (You can also use graham crackers. If you need the cheesecake to be gluten free, you can use gluten free digestives or rich tea biscuits, or other gluten free cookies/biscuits of choice.)
- 75 g (⅔ stick) unsalted butter, melted (The exact amount of butter you will need will depend on the type of biscuits/cookies/crackers you use.)
For raspberry cheesecake filling:
- 400 g (3 ⅓ cups) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 600 g (2 ⅔ cups) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (I used Philadelphia cream cheese.)
- 115 g (½ cup) full-fat plain or Greek-style yoghurt, room temperature (You can also use sour cream.)
- 200 g (1 cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
- 20 g (3 tbsp) cornflour (UK)/cornstarch (US)
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 3 UK medium/US large eggs, room temperature
For raspberry sauce:
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cups) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 75 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 240 g (2 cups) fresh raspberries
Instructions
For cheesecake crust:
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line an 8 inch (20cm) springform pan with baking/greaseproof paper (make sure that you line both the bottom and the sides of the pan).
- Mix together the crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter, until you get a mixture resembling wet sand. Transfer the mixture into the lined springform pan and, using the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup, compress them into an even layer with an approximately 1 ½ inch (4cm) rim around the edge.Tip: Depending on the type and brand of cookies/biscuits you use, you might need slightly less or slightly more butter than listed in this recipe. Add the butter slowly, mixing well after each addition, until you reach the consistency of wet sand. You want a mixture that somewhat sticks together or holds its shape when pressed together, but it shouldn't feel/look greasy or oily.
- Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool until warm.
For raspberry cheesecake filling:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 285ºF (140ºC).Tip: If your springform pan isn't 100% leak-proof, I recommend that you also get a baking sheet ready to place the cheesecake on it before it goes into the oven. This will catch any small leaks of butter from the cheesecake base, and prevent any smoking or burning at the bottom of your oven.
- First, make the raspberry reduction:In a saucepan, cook the raspberries on medium-high heat with occasional stirring until they have softened and released their juices.Pass the raspberry mixture through a sieve, and discard the seeds and skins.Return the raspberry juice to the saucepan and cook further over medium-high heat with frequent stirring until it has decreased in volume to about ½ cup (about 110 g), this should take about 15 minutes. The final reduction should be thick and viscious, but not quite jam-like.Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- In a large bowl using a balloon whisk, mix the cream cheese and yoghurt together until smooth. Tip: Make sure to MIX rather than whisk or aerate – you don't want to incorporate too much air into the mixture. If you don't want to do this by hand, use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed setting. (I don't recommend using a hand mixer.)
- Mix the sugar and cornflour/cornstarch together, and add them to the cream cheese mixture. Mix well until combined and smooth.Tip: Mixing the cornflour/cornstarch with the sugar before adding them ensures that the cornflour/cornstarch doesn't clump together in the cheesecake filling.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and mix well until evenly incorporated.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until smooth.
- Add the cooled raspberry reduction and mix well until evenly incorporated – the cheesecake filling should be of an even pink colour.
- Transfer the raspberry cheesecake filling into the slightly cooled cheesecake crust and smooth out the top.
- Bake at 285ºF (140ºC) for about 60-65 minutes, or until the edges are fully set and slightly puffed up, and the middle is still wobbly when you gently shake the baking pan.Tip: This baking time range is merely a guideline – you should always judge the doneness of a cheesecake based on its physical indicators (the wobbliness of the centre, how set the edges are, etc.) rather than on the baking time, especially as each oven behaves slightly differently. You should start checking your cheesecake about 10 minutes before the recommended baking time.
- Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature in the turned-off oven with the oven door ajar.
- Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the cheesecake into the fridge for at least 4 hours (or preferably overnight) before removing it from the baking pan. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to assemble/decorate.
For raspberry sauce:
- Add the 200g of raspberries (either fresh or frozen) and the sugar to a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat with occasional stirring until the raspberries have softened and released their juices.
- Pass them through a sieve, and discard the seeds and skins.
- Return the juices back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat with frequent stirring until reduced in volume to about ⅓ cup (about 100g) – they should be very viscous and syrupy, but not quite jam-like, this should take about 10 minutes. Once thickened, set aside to cool.Tip: I actually prefer to over-reduce (rather than under-reduce) the juices, as you can always add some water back to loosen them up. A too runny sauce, on the other hand, is very messy and difficult to fix (especially once you've mixed in the fresh raspberries).
- Mix the cooled reduction with 240 g of the fresh raspberries, adding a small amount of water if you need to loosen it up slightly. Make sure that all the raspberries are evenly coated in the syrup/reduction.
Assembling the raspberry cheesecake:
- Once the cheesecake is fully chilled, remove it out of the springform pan and onto a serving plate.
- Just before serving, spoon over the raspberry sauce, then slice and serve.Tip: The sauce on top does make cutting the cheesecake slightly messy – so, what you could do is cut the cheesecake without the sauce on top and them spoon it over the individual slices right before serving.
Storage:
- The raspberry cheesecake keeps well in a closed container in the fridge for 4-5 days.