Easy Raspberry Cheesecake
Raspberry cheesecake can be incredibly easy to make. With some flour in the batter you can worry less about sinking and cracking and the final result is oh so creamy. You don’t even need a water bath for this one!
Jump to Recipe
Remember when those horrid Jell-o no bake cheesecakes hit the market? I loved making those because they were so easy.
But oh y’all they taste like plastic and they should since their ingredients are second cousins once removed to play dough.
Make one yourself but don’t fuss too much. This version is creamy, rich and perfectly sweet but doesn’t need a water bath or lots of fussing.
Does this recipe use sour cream or yogurt? Which one is better?
Nope! All cream cheese here. I really like the rich flavor profile it produces but it’s not for everyone.
Some people will use either sour cream or yogurt in their cheesecakes to break up the richness and density of the cream cheese.
The use of either of these ingredients will also add a slight tang to the filling. They can be used pretty interchangeably.
Do I need a stand mixer to make this cheesecake?
A standup mixer will make life easier for you but you don’t need one.
You can use a whisk and some arm power. If your ingredients are warm or at least at room temperature, they won’t be terribly difficult to mix together manually.
Tips for a smooth batter that’s not lumpy
No one likes a lumpy cheesecake. To ensure a lump-free filling, start with room-temperature ingredients. They will incorporate more smoothly with one another.
Even the eggs. Cold eggs can curdle cream cheese, so make sure they are at room temperature. You can warm them in a cup of hot water if you’re pressed for time.
Can I use frozen raspberries for the sauce?
Absolutely! I encourage it. Fresh raspberries can be pricey and you are going to be cooking them down anyway. So go ahead and grab a bag of frozen raspberries and call it a day.
Just a few ingredients
To make this a swirled raspberry cheesecake
The pretty raspberry sauce on top of this cheesecake is shockingly easy to make. Just drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the cooled raspberry sauce across the filling (leave an inch or so between each dollop).
Then run a knife through the dollops to give them a swirl, and pop the cheesecake in the oven.
Should a raspberry cheesecake have a pre-baked crust?
Some versions do but this one doesn’t (which is part of why I love it so much). Just press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of your springform pan, smooth the filling over the top, swirl in the raspberry sauce, and bake.
I’m a big fan of the nuts and cinnamon in this crust. They add a nice warmth and depth of flavor. Keep them in if don’t have an allergy.
How to make raspberry cheesecake
Crush graham crackers with sugar, cinnamon and ground nuts. Add melted butter and press into the bottom and sides of a spring form pan.
In a bowl blend the cheesecake ingredients.
Pour into the crust and bake! Tent with foil if the crust starts to get dark.
Why did my cheesecake sink?
Cheesecakes with fallen centers are all too common. Here are a few common mistakes that lead to fallen cheesecakes and how to avoid them.
- Temperature swings. If there is a rise and fall in temperature in the oven, it is likely that the center of the cheesecake will sink. Keep the oven shut to prevent this.
- Improper cooling. It is essential to cool the cheesecake slowly. Turn the oven off and allow it to sit inside with the door slightly cracked for about an hour before removing it to cool completely. This will help prevent cracks in the surface as well as the center from falling.
- You forgot the flour. Adding a dash of flour to the cheesecake filling helps to stabilize it and to prevent the center from sinking.
- Over or under-mixing can cause the cake to rise too much. A cheesecake that has risen too much will sink as it cools, causing a concave center. So mix just until everything is combined. No more. No less.
How to know if a cheesecake is cooked?
Look for a slightly jiggly (not sloshy) center.
Do your best not to overcook your cheesecake.
It will remain in the oven for an hour after you turn it off and it will continue to set. The final texture will only be right after it’s been refrigerated so be patient with it.
The cheesecake should have a nice golden-brown hue to it. If it starts to brown too quickly, tent the cake with aluminum foil. Just remember that opening the oven can cause the cheesecake to sink in the center. So be quick.
For the best texture, chill
You just slaved away to make a glorious raspberry cheesecake and you want to dive in right away. Try to resist the temptation.
Allowing this fruity dessert to chill for a good long while really makes a difference. Give it at least 24 hours in the refrigerator to get the perfect creamy texture.
Other flavor options for cheesecake
I love swirling raspberry sauce into this cheesecake but there are so many other flavor options out there. Put aside the raspberry sauce and try one (or all) of these fun ideas.
- Blueberry. Swap the raspberries out for fresh or frozen blueberries and swirl the sauce into the cheesecake just as you would in the original recipe.
- Strawberry. Use strawberries instead of raspberries to make the sauce. Instead of swirling the sauce into the cheesecake, pour it on top of the dessert once it has cooled completely. Yum!
- White chocolate. Swirl this white chocolate sauce into the cheesecake. Alternatively, incorporate 8 ounces of melted white chocolate into the filling before pouring it into the crust.
- Churro. Mix together ¾ cups brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and ½ cup melted butter and swirl it through the cheesecake. Drizzle slices with Mexican and dulce de lece and call it a churro cheesecake.
- Oreo. For the crust, replace the graham crackers, cinnamon, and nuts with Oreo crumbs (about 3 cups). Then fold 20 or so chopped Oreos into the filling and call it an Oreo cheesecake.
I suggest against using canned pie fillings if you are opting for a fruity swirl. They are too chunky and gelatinous to swirl into the cheesecake properly.
Easy Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped graham crackers
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1/2 cup butter melted
For the filling:
- 3 8- ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 eggs at room temperature
For the sauce:
- 3 cups frozen raspberries thawed or still frozen
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl mix the finely ground graham crackers, nuts, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.
- Press the mix into the bottom and about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the springform pan. A flat bottomed measuring cup does a good job of pressing the crust evenly in the corners.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with your hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, milk and eggs until thoroughly combined.
- Pour into the crust and bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Turn off the oven and crack the door open one inch. Let the cake cool in the oven for one hour before transferring it to a rack to cool completely.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight if possible, or at least four hours before serving.
Make the sauce:
- While the cake cooks, add the raspberries, sugar and cornstarch to a medium saucepan and bring them to a low boil over medium heat. Cook until the liquid thickens–8-10 minutes or so or until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Cool slightly, then press the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
- Save the strained sauce for topping your cheesecake.
Nutrition
I made this an, after reading the reviews, I was anticipating a great result. However, during baking I noticed the spring-form pan was leaking liquid? The oven was smoking and the bottom of the oven was wet. I should also mention here that the crust only came up about 1/2″ not the 3/4″ as specified in the recipe. Also, I did not surround the outside with aluminum foil. So……I continued to bake for the specified time. My cake came out dry. What did I do wrong?
Hey Martha, You know, it’s so hard for me to tell you exactly what happened since I wasn’t there but I can make some guesses. If liquid was leaking from your pan: 1) was the bottom of your springform pan lined up exactly as it needed to be inside the ring? If it’s off even a tad, there won’t be a tight seal and something could leak. Was the leaking liquid white like cream cheese or was it butter? If your oven was smoking that makes me think that the butter in the crust leaked out. Are you using a good quality springform pan? I’d bet my right leg your bottom wasn’t in it correctly. 2) For the crust height: 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way makes no difference so don’t worry about that. 3) My final guess and this is probably the major issue–is that you just plain old baked it too long for your oven. Did you know that oven temperatures can vary by as much as 50 degrees hotter or cooler? I use a separate thermometer in my oven to make sure that 350 is actually 350 or 400 is actually 400. Your 350 might actually be 400 or 425. If you don’t bake a lot you’ll learn quickly that recipe cook times must always be adjusted based on your oven, your stove, your tools. Always watch the food–not the time–for the best results. Your cheesecake was done when it was lightly golden and had a slight jiggle (not a watery sloshing, but a gentle jiggle) in the center. Maybe try it again if you feel up to it. That’s how we learn and get better. –Rachel
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving but I couldn’t serve it. The recipe is so vague, I had to look up another recipe in order to figure out how long to blind bake the crust. It didn’t tell me whether I was supposed to grease the pan or not. I ended up greasing it and the whole cake fell. The cheesecake itself was really bland, not enough vanilla flavor and needed some salt. Overall, don’t use this recipe if you have never made a cheesecake. Find a recipe with more instructions.
Hi Jen,
I’m sorry you feel that the cheesecake didn’t work out and that the instructions were vague. But I would like to point out that recipe instructions are formulated to tell you what to do–not what not to do–and I’m very particular about what I write. There’s enough butter in the crust that you don’t need to add more to the pan, and there was no need to blind bake the crust or I would have given that instruction. If I had wanted you to do those things, I would have said so. You took that upon yourself, and I’m sorry. I’ve eaten a lot of cheesecakes in my life and this one has always been a winner with others who have had it. –Rachel
This recipe was bomb! Great with milk.
You just killed me with this one! That’s it, I have to make it this weekend!
Oh yes girl–it’s sooooo good!!! But not friendly to the blood sugar I’m sure!
Looks fantastic! Be still my cheesecake loving heart!
Kathi
I will make it one of my top priorities to give this one a go this weekend. I’m a sucker for a good cheese cake and the way that you have presented this its just lovely.
Let me know how it turns out Scott!
It’s baked, it’s cooling in the oven, can I refrigerate it for later?
Yes Scott. Once it is cool enough, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it a few hours so it can set.let me know how you like it. If I didn’t mention chilling it I had better add that to the recipe. Thanks!
I think it came out rather well, I really enjoyed it.
http://bbqlikeitshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/fluffy_cheesecake_3195.jpg
I used Arnott’s Milk Chocolate Digestive biscuits as the base (yum)! And I used a locally produced Raspberry & Boysenberry Compote by The Dollop Kitchen for the sauce.
This was a really easy to follow recipe – who knew I would end up baking deserts 😉
It looks just like mine Scott! I’m glad it worked out for you–and if I can get you out of your box and doing something different, that’s a success. The you may have to change your name to BBQ (and Bake) Like It’s Hot! LOL.
Cheesecake is my very favorite dessert and I think raspberry sauce makes it even better! Thanks for sharing this, I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Thanks Anne! I love cheesecake too, but I don’t like it too sweet and this one is perfect! I hope you get a chance to try it.