There are many things New York City is famous for. One of them is cheesecake! Hardly anyone can resist the velvety texture of the cream cheese filling paired with a crunchy base of biscuits. Although I lived in New York for almost four years, I have never made a New York style cheesecake before.
Until now. Instead of making the original plain version, I decided to add some white chocolate to the filling for extra creaminess and top it with some tart raspberry compote. The flavor combination is delicious! Instead of biscuits (I try to stay away from processed food as much as I can), I used a mix of oats and almonds for the base. It adds a nice crunch and a less sugary contrast to the filling. And it’s gluten-free.
Cheesecakes have always been a rich and decadent treat. And so is this one. That’s why this is best shared with your loved ones, enjoying food and celebrating the sweet things in life!
If you are a cheesecake lover, make sure you check out my popular pumpkin cheesecake recipe.
A word about milk:
I recently got into reading about cow milk. I wanted to better understand what it’s doing to our bodies and our society. After reading several alarming articles, I came to the conclusion that I want to reduce my consumption of cow milk to a minimum and whenever possible consume organic milk only. That’s not just limited to milk but also includes any milk products, such as the butter and the cream cheese I used for this cake. I believe that the little changes we make individually can really make a difference. Maybe I can encourage you to be mindful of what you consume and make conscious decisions when it comes to food choices.
Love,
Marion
White chocolate raspberry cheesecake
A slight twist on the traditional New York style cheesecake: white chocolate in the filling, a gluten-free almond base, and a tart raspberry compote topping
Ingredients
- For the base:
- 250g oats
- 30g raw cane sugar
- 100g butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Pinch of salt
- For the filling:
- 600g white chocolate
- 500g full fat cream cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 300g sour cream
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds of ½ vanilla pod
- For the raspberry compote:
- 300g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 30g raw cane sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease a 28cm springform tin and line it with parchment paper.
- Step 2 Put oats in a blender or food processor and pulse one or two times. You want the oats to break down slightly but not turn into flour.
- Step 3 Transfer to a separate bowl and combine with the sugar and the melted butter, using a wooden spoon or your hands. Press the crumbs into the base of the tin and set aside in the fridge.
- Step 4 To make the filling, break white chocolate into bite-size pieces. Place the chocolate in a saucepan over simmering water until it has melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Step 5 Place the cream cheese and sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and add one egg at a time until well incorporated. Add orange zest and vanilla extract (or seeds of the vanilla pod) and mix until well combined, followed by the cooled chocolate (pour in slowly while mixing).
- Step 6 Pour the mixture into the chilled base and bake for 1 hour. The middle of the cheesecake should still have a slight wobble when you shake the pan. Turn off the oven but leave the cake inside with the door slightly open (you can prop the door open with a wooden spoon) for another hour.
- Step 7 Remove from the oven and let cool completely before chilling in the fridge overnight.
- Step 8 For the compote, place the raspberries and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Step 9 When ready to serve, remove the springform tin and parchment paper and spoon over the raspberry compote.
