Cheesecake and photo by sugarpie, Premium Member © Sarah Phillips
Cheesecake and photo by sugarpie, Premium Member © Sarah Phillips
This creamy, smooth white chocolate cheesecake tastes as good as it looks, especially with its hazelnut crust. It is well worth the extra time to frost it with the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, although it is also delicious served plain with just a bit of Raspberry-Grand Marnier Sauce on the side, both recipes included. Make sure you use a high quality white chocolate and you won't be disappointed.
CHEESECAKE RECIPE HELP
INGREDIENTS
Hazelnut crust:
25 vanilla wafers (1 cup crushed)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Cheesecake Filling:
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped into evenly sized 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 strips lemon peel, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Position a baking rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
2. In a food processor, finely chop vanilla wafers. Add sugar and hazelnuts; chop fine. With the machine running, pour in butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm.
3. Place white chocolate in small bowl. Gently warm cream and pour over the chocolate. Let stand, stirring often, until chocolate is melted. Cool slightly.
4. Place sugar and lemon peel in a food processor work bowl fitted with a metal blade. Process until the lemon peel is very fine, about one minute. Add softened cream cheese and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl several times. Mix in white chocolate, cream, sour cream, and lemon juice. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until smooth, another 30 seconds. Pour half of the mixture over the chilled crust, and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the Raspberry Sauce. Top with remaining batter.
5. Place the cheesecake in a baking pan about 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep and wide enough so there is at least an inch of room around the cheesecake. Pour boiling water into the baking pan to about half way up the sides of the springform pan.
6. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire cake rack for 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, preferably for 24 hours.
WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place whipping cream in a small bowl and gently heat. Add white chocolate to cream and stir until melted. Cool to room temperature.
2. With electric mixer beat cream cheese and lemon zest together. Add white chocolate and cream; whip until smooth. If frosting is too soft, refrigerate until it is thick and creamy.
SARAH SAYS: White chocolate typically lists cocoa butter as the first ingredient; the higher the ratio of cocoa butter in the product, the finer the confection. If cocoa butter is not listed as an ingredient, the product is a white compound or confectioner's coating. The term “white chocolate” is a misnomer, however, as chocolate refers to the brown chocolate liqueur found when processing the cocoa beans. White chocolate should be handled carefully – it should not be over heated. In this recipe, the cream should be just barely warm enough to gently melt the chocolate. If the chocolate gets too warm, it may “seize” and clump up or refuse to melt.
RASPBERRY-GRAND MARNIER SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
16 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries (1 cup juice)
1/3 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a saucepan, heat berries until just warm, and juice is released. If using fresh berries, add 1/4 cup water. Force the mixture thru a sieve or juicer. Return juice to saucepan; discard solids. Add sugar to taste. If using fresh berries 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar should be adequate. If using pre-sweetened berries, little or no additional sugar may be needed. Cook over medium high heat until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat, add orange liqueur and cool.
ASSEMBLE DESSERT
DECORATIONS / GARNISH
INGREDIENTS
1 cup medium chopped toasted hazelnuts
Fresh raspberries
INSTRUCTIONS
To finish dessert, cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper in a six-inch round, using a saucer as a guide, and place in the center of the cheesecake. Frost the sides and top, around the paper, with White Chocolate & Cream Cheese Frosting. Press chopped hazelnuts into the frosting. Remove paper and chill until frosting is firm, about one hour. Spoon Raspberry Grand-Marnier Sauce into the center and garnish with fresh raspberries.
STORAGE
Cheesecakes must be kept refrigerated where they will keep for 3 days or more. They freeze beautifully unless topped with sour cream. Make sure you allow them time to set in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours after baking before freezing. You can freeze the cake in their pan or unmold and then freeze. If you unmold, freeze until solid before wrapping. They will keep for about 2 months or more frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator.
