….absolutely amazing! Sometimes you come across a recipe that just looks and sounds fantastic, and sometimes the reality is even better, and this cheesecake has become something of a signature dish for me and probably the one thing I get asked to make more than anything else.  Although making 3 at one time for various Christmas dinners was a bit much even for me.

Its a no-cook (well no-bake) chilled cheesecake, and a little goes a long way as its rich, indulgent, decadent and very very hard to resist.  It will easily feed a large group and you can get 10 or more slices, although don’t blame me if its all scoffed by greedy people wanting more.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

For the biscuit base

  • 150 g digestive biscuits, crushed
  • 150 g gingernut biscuits, crushed
  • 150 g butter, melted

For the filling

  • 400-600g white chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 65g butter
  • 1/2 vanilla pod (split)
  • 500g cream cheese
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 180ml whipping cream
  • 1 punnet raspberries, plus a few more to decorate

Okay I don’t follow the recipe exactly. I tend to use 500g of white chocolate, 5 bars of Tesco Finest is just right.  Also I just use double cream and whip it to soft peaks and add a good half a tub of mascapone into the mix for a bit of extra richness.  I also scrape the vanilla seeds into the mix for extra flavour.

Also I’ve doubled the amount of base from the original recipe as I didn’t think it was enough and I like the base to be a little more substantial.  Plus in a 23cm tin it gets a little lost for my liking.  Also (believe it or not) I tend to use “lite” cream cheese from a major brand.  Okay overall there is no difference, but it works and tastes fab.  Besides it makes me feel that its slightly better for me.

Directions

  1. For the biscuit base: combine the biscuits and butter and press onto the base of a 23cm springform tin. (I also put a greaseproof paper on the bottom, Lakeland does a range of disks that fit the tin perfectly)
  2. For the filling: place the chocolate, butter and vanilla pod in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water until melted. Allow to cool slightly. (I split the vanilla pod)
  3. In another bowl mix together the cream cheese, sugar and whipping cream to a smooth consistency. (Add in the mascapone as well)
  4. Remove the vanilla pod from the melted chocolate mixture (scrape out the seeds and add to the chocolate mix) and stir into the cream mixture. Gently stir in the raspberries, being careful not to release the juice.
  5. Spoon the mixture on top of the biscuit base and place in the fridge to set for 8-24 hours.
  6. To serve: remove from the tin and place on a serving plate. Decorate with a few whole raspberries.

I guarantee this will never fail to impress and I’ll be making one shortly for everyone to enjoy.