This Raspberry Cheesecake recipe yields a creamy raspberry cheesecake with an oreo crust and a raspberry whipped cream garnish. I decorated this baked raspberry cheesecake to look like a brain dessert for halloween, but without this garnish it does the trick for year round cravings.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
Last year I saw @dannyalas on TikTok make a tiramisu pie with a wavy cream top dusted with cocoa powder. At first glance I thought it looked kind of brain-ish. So I screenshotted it and saved it to my Trello board with the note “for halloween”. Needless to say, I have been looking forward to making this Halloween cheesecake all year. I adapted the oreo crust from Sugar Spun Run.
I took the cheesecake batter base from my Pear Cheesecake recipe, which I love because it includes sour cream, which adds a nice tang. If you want a more pared-down cheesecake recipe, just requiring mostly cream cheese, eggs and heavy cream, see my Blueberry Cheesecake recipe.
Jump to:
Why you’ll love this recipe
- There is a natural raspberry flavor.
- The brain design on top makes for a perfect halloween dessert.
- The oreo cookie crust is made without the filling so it doesn’t seep and won’t get soggy.
Ingredients
- Fresh or frozen raspberries bring a tart berry flavor to the cheesecake.
- Cream cheese is the base of the dessert and provides tang and structure.
- Sour cream adds a tang and richness to the batter.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the cheesecake batter.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Eggs provide structure to the cheesecake.
- Unsalted butter adds richness to the crust.
- Oreos are the base of the cookie crust.
- Heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and raspberry juice powder whip together to create the garnish.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this raspberry cheesecake to your liking:
- Crust variations — use a store-bought oreo crust (you may need two) or make a graham cracker crust instead.
- No raspberry juice powder — Omit or swap for ground and sifted, freeze-dried raspberry powder. You may need more or less, depending on your taste and the potency of the powder.
- Garnish variations — omit any garnishes and/or decorate as you see fit.
- Another halloween design — cover the top of the cheesecake in chocolate ganache and melted white chocolate to create a spiderweb design. See my chocolate spiderweb tutorial.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make raspberry cheesecake
Step 1: Twist apart each oreo and remove the cream center. Discard or save to use for something else. Pulse the cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe medium bowl. Add the oreo crumbs and kosher salt and toss together until combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared springform pan and either pat down completely into the bottom or pat up the sides too, if desired.
Step 2: Cook the raspberries: In a medium saucepan, cook the raspberries over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or just until the raspberries release their juices. Pour the mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve, pushing to release as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp. Return the juice to the saucepan and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the juice has thickened and reduced by half. Then set aside to cool. Mix the cream cheese in a medium bowl with beaters on low or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low for 1-2 minutes, just until smooth and no lumps remain. Do not over whip or you will introduce too much air. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add the sugar, vanilla, salt and cooled raspberry puree. Mix just until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Create a bain-marie: Cut large pieces of foil. Stack them on top of each other in opposite directions. Place the cheesecake on top of the foil stack and bring the foil up around the edges. You basically want to make it so that no water can get to the cheesecake pan. This is important otherwise your cheesecake could get waterlogged and ruined. Place the foiled cheesecake pan inside of a larger baking dish. Pour boiling (or very hot) water into the larger baking dish so that it reaches at least halfway up the sides of the foiled cheesecake pan (but not so much that you risk getting water into the cheesecake pan). See notes for alternative options (pictured). Bake for 40-50 minutes. You’ll know it is ready when it looks firm, but there is still a slight jiggle. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside while the oven cools down. The key here is letting the cheesecake cool very gradually to prevent cracks. After about 30 minutes, crack the oven door with a wooden spoon or just open it slightly. Let cool in there another 30 minutes before removing to the counter to cool down to room temperature. Finally, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill completely overnight.
Step 4: Make the whipped cream: In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with hand beaters in a large bowl, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and raspberry powder (if using) together until stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag, if desired. To pipe a ruffle like I did, cut the tip of a plastic piping bag off, then make a ½ inch cut on one of the seams of the bag on the side. Pipe ruffles of whipped cream on top of the cheesecake. If desired, dust the top with a 1:1 mixture of raspberry powder and powdered sugar (optional). As it sits, this mixture will become wet and give a bloody look, perfect for if you are serving this for halloween, but if not, then I do not recommend this garnish.
Hot tips
- If you don’t have foil, an alternative for the bain-marie step is to place the cheesecake into a 10-inch cake tin and place that pan into a larger baking dish and fill the larger pan with water until halfway up the side of the cake tin.
- If you don’t care about removing the cheesecake from the pan for serving you could also bake this in a 9×9 baking dish without a removable bottom.
- Don’t skip out on the gradual cooling! If you cool it too quickly, the cheesecake could crack.
Recipe FAQs
Store a cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly in plastic and stored in an airtight container.
Yes, omit it without issue.
A bain-marie is a water bath. Baking in a water bath ensures the cheesecake bakes evenly and prevents cracking.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this Raspberry Cheesecake recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Raspberry cheesecake batter
- 3 ⅓ cups raspberries fresh or frozen (400g)
- 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened, cut into small pieces
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature (171g, 6 oz)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Oreo crust
- 35 Oreo cookies (423g with cream, 304g with cream removed)
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter (75g)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped cream
- 2 cup heavy whipping cream (470g)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (47g)
- 2 teaspoon raspberry juice powder optional
Garnish (optional)
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar (24g)
- 2 tablespoon raspberry juice powder
Instructions
Warning
- This is a multi-day baking project. Day 1: Bake the cheesecake and chill overnight. Day 2: Garnish and enjoy.
Do ahead
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and a circle of parchment on the bottom and a ring of parchment for the sides (optional).
Make the crust
- Twist apart each oreo and remove the cream center. Discard or save to use for something else. Pulse the cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe medium bowl. Add the oreo crumbs and kosher salt and toss together until combined.
- Pour this mixture into the prepared springform pan and either pat down completely into the bottom or pat up the sides too, if desired. Set aside.
Make the cheesecake batter
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Cook the raspberries: In a medium saucepan, cook the raspberries over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or just until the raspberries release their juices. Pour the mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve, pushing to release as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp. Return the juice to the saucepan and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the juice has thickened and reduced by half. Then set aside to cool.
- Mix the cream cheese in a medium bowl with beaters on low or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low for 1-2 minutes, just until smooth and no lumps remain. Do not over whip or you will introduce too much air.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, salt and cooled raspberry puree. Mix just until fully incorporated.
Bake
- Create a bain-marie: Cut large pieces of foil. Stack them on top of each other in opposite directions. Place the cheesecake on top of the foil stack and bring the foil up around the edges. You basically want to make it so that no water can get to the cheesecake pan. This is important otherwise your cheesecake could get waterlogged and ruined.
- Place the foiled cheesecake pan inside of a larger baking dish. Pour boiling (or very hot) water into the larger baking dish so that it reaches at least halfway up the sides of the foiled cheesecake pan (but not so much that you risk getting water into the cheesecake pan). See notes for alternative options.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes. You’ll know it is ready when it looks firm, but there is still a slight jiggle.
- Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside while the oven cools down. The key here is letting the cheesecake cool very gradually to prevent cracks. After about 30 minutes, crack the oven door with a wooden spoon or just open it slightly. Let cool in there another 30 minutes before removing to the counter to cool down to room temperature.
- Finally, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill completely overnight.
Make the whipped cream
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with hand beaters in a large bowl, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and raspberry powder (if using) together until stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag, if desired. To pipe a ruffle like I did, cut the tip of a plastic piping bag off, then make a ½ inch cut on one of the seams of the bag on the side. Pipe ruffles of whipped cream on top of the cheesecake.
Garnish
- If desired, dust the top with a 1:1 mixture of raspberry powder and powdered sugar (optional). As it sits, this mixture will become wet and give a bloody look, perfect for if you are serving this for halloween, but if not, then I do not recommend this garnish.
Comments
No Comments