BEST Baked Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe
Baked Raspberry Cheesecake is a decadent creamy dessert with tangy raspberry filling and topped with sweet and thick raspberry sauce. It may look fancy, but it is so easy to make and tastes so delicious, your whole family will be asking for more. You do not even have to use a water bath in this fantastic recipe.
If your family liked this baked raspberry cheesecake recipe, they will love our Instant Pot Raspberry Cheesecake. Instead of making your own raspberry puree, you just use raspberry jam, pour it into an Oreo crust, and then it is topped with homemade chocolate ganache. If you do not feel like baking, this No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake is perfect! It is easy to do with gelatin, mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, whipping cream, and strawberries.
According to historians, it was the ancient Greeks who realized how delicious cheesecake was way back in the 5th century BC. They made it with pounded cheese patties, honey, and flour. The earliest mention was around that same time when a Greek doctor wrote a book on the dessert. The modern cheesecake was developed in the 1700s when Europeans added eggs and removed the yeast.
Everyone loves cheesecake but this is a special one. With our baked raspberry cheesecake recipe, you will not need too many ingredients. Just raspberries, cream cheese, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, cornstarch, and sugar. For the crust, you only need some graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
If cheesecake is one of your favorite desserts, check out some of our other recipes for cheesecakes. For example, this cranberry cheesecake made with sweetened cranberries with orange juice is amazing and super creamy. For something even easier, try our Japanese cheesecake recipe made from cream cheese, white chocolate chips, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Ingredients needed:
These are the simple ingredients for this baked raspberry swirl cheesecake recipe. When you are ready to start, simply scroll down to our recipe card for complete instructions and measurements.
For the cheesecake crust:
- Finely crushed graham crackers: Crushed into graham cracker crumbs.
- Unsalted butter
To make the raspberry cheesecake filling:
- Fresh or frozen raspberries
- Full-fat cream cheese: Softened to room temperature.
- Full-fat plain or Greek yogurt: At room temperature.
- Large eggs: At room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla bean paste
For the raspberry sauce:
- Fresh or frozen raspberries
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh raspberries: For the topping.
How to make baked raspberry cheesecake from scratch?
For the cheesecake crust:
- Preheat oven and prep pan: To start, set the oven rack in the middle position and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper on the sides and bottom.
- Crush the cookies: While you wait for the oven to heat up, crush the graham crackers in a food processor and mix in the melted butter until it looks like wet sand. Press it into the prepared pan using the bottom of a glass or your fingers with an approximately 1 ½ inch rim around the edges.
- Bake the crust: Last, bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool and reduce the oven temperature to 285 degrees F.
To make the raspberry cheesecake filling:
- Make raspberry puree: First, cook the raspberries on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and released their juices. Strain the raspberry mixture through a sieve and discard the seeds and skins.
- Reduce the juice: Then, pour the strained raspberry juice back into the saucepan and continue to cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, until it reduces in volume to about a half cup. It should be very thick but not like jam. Remove from heat and let it cool on a wire rack.
- Mix the batter: Next, mix the cream cheese and yogurt with a whisk in a medium bowl until it is smooth.
- Make the cream cheese mixture: Now, use a small bowl to mix the sugar and cornstarch before adding it to the cream cheese filling. Mix until smooth. Then stir in the vanilla bean paste.
- Add the eggs: After, add eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg, until it is smooth.
- Pour in the raspberry puree: Then, pour in the cooled raspberry reduction and gently stir. The cheesecake batter should be evenly pink. Pour the raspberry cheesecake filling into the slightly cooled crust and smooth it out.
- Bake cheesecake: Next, bake the cheesecake for 60 to 65 minutes until the edges are set and slightly puffed. The middle should be slightly wobbly when shaking the pan.
- Let it cool: Immediately turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the oven door open just a little bit until it cools to room temperature.
- Chill the cheesecake: After the baked cheesecake is cooled, let it chill in the fridge overnight or at least four hours before you remove it from the pan.
For the raspberry sauce:
- Cook the sauce: To begin, add the raspberries and sugar to a saucepan and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until they are soft, and the juice has released. Drain them through a sieve and get rid of the skins and seeds.
- Stir and cool: Next, pour the juice back into the pan and cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until they reduce to 1/3 cup. Set it aside to cool.
- Add fresh raspberries: After it cools, mix it with the fresh raspberries until they are all evenly coated. Add water if needed.
Assembling the raspberry cheesecake:
- Remove it from the pan: Once the cheesecake is completely chilled, take it out of the springform pan and place it on a serving plate.
- Slice, sauce, and serve: Finally, slice, spoon on the sauce, and serve baked cheesecake.
Recipe variations:
- Sour cream: You can use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt.
- Vanilla extract: Instead of vanilla bean paste, you can use vanilla extract.
- Make it lemony: Add a tablespoon of lemon zest and 1/4 cup of lemon juice for a lemony flavor.
- Different berries: If you cannot find raspberries, you could also use blueberries, blackberries, or even strawberries.
- Chocolate raspberry: Add chocolate chips or some cocoa powder for chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
- More raspberry: Use raspberry-flavored Greek yogurt for extra raspberry flavor.
- Different cookies: You can also substitute the graham crackers with some other cookies like Oreos, vanilla wafers, or shortbread.
How to serve:
It does not have to be a special occasion to make and serve this delicious raspberry cheesecake. But it certainly makes any day feel special when you taste it. Try one of these serving suggestions or share some of your own in the comments section.
- If it really is a special occasion, add some rainbow sprinkles on top of your cheesecake.
- Another great idea is to add a scoop of whipped cream. Try our light and fluffy whipped cream recipe.
- Drizzle chocolate syrup on top with some chocolate chips for the chocolate lovers in the family.
- This baked raspberry cheesecake goes great with a scoop of ice cream. This homemade strawberry ice cream would be perfect.
- You could also eat it with chopped nuts on top for a crunchy dessert.
- Actually, this delicious dessert goes with anything from a glass of milk to a mug of hot chocolate.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my cheesecake crack?
Cheesecake cracks are common. Especially when cooking it at a high temperature. With this recipe, it is baked at 285 degrees to prevent such issues. However, if you are really worried about it, try using a water bath and do not open the oven door while it is baking.
How do you make a water bath?
Fill a roasting pan with boiling water but only about an inch from the top of the cake pan. Using hot water makes steam, which helps keep the cake moist as it bakes. This prevents the cheesecake from becoming dry and cracking. It also makes your dessert creamier.
How can I fix cheesecake cracks?
Even if you did everything perfectly, sometimes cheesecakes just crack. Before you try to fix it, make sure your cheesecake is cold. To fix simple cracks, use your fingers to push the two sides together as much as you can. Then, use a hot spatula to smooth the sides together. If the cracks are stubborn, just cover them with extra raspberry sauce or whipped cream.
What is the nutrition information in this recipe?
Cheesecake is not a diet food. You have to use full-fat ingredients for it to be creamy. If you are worried about calories and fat, just eat a smaller slice. Each serving has 504 calories, 61 grams carbs, 26 grams fat, and 14 grams saturated fat. It also has 355 mg sodium, 90 mg cholesterol, and 44 grams sugar. But it also has 3 mg iron, 140 mg calcium, 5 mg vitamin C, 545 units vitamin A, 2 grams fiber, 320 mg potassium, and 9 grams protein.
How to store leftovers:
- Store: You can store your leftover baked raspberry cheesecake in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to five days.
- Freeze: Wrap leftover cheesecake in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag. You can keep it for up to 90 days. Wrap each piece separately so you can just thaw out one at a time as needed.
- Thaw: For the best texture and flavor, remember to place your frozen cheesecake in the fridge overnight to thaw before serving.
More cheesecake recipes to try:
Baking tips:
- If you do not have a springform pan, you can use a cake pan but make sure to use parchment paper or baking paper. Leave enough of the paper hanging out for easier removal.
- Place your cheesecake in a sheet pan in case something leaks out during the baking process.
- Mixing the cornstarch with the sugar before adding it to the batter prevents the cornstarch from clumping together.
- You can use a stand mixer with a whisk or paddle attachment on the lowest setting instead of whisking your cream cheese and sugar by hand. You do not want too much air in the mixture.
- If you use frozen berries, let them thaw before beginning.
- Also, if you do not have a food processor, you can crush your graham crackers by putting them in a ziplock baggie and rolling them with a rolling pin.
- It is better to over-reduce your berry juices rather than under-reducing them. You can always add more water to it if it is too thick. But the runny sauce is very difficult to fix.
- To keep your cake from getting messy, cut it before spooning the sauce on top. Also, use a thin knife for slicing and wipe it off after each slice.
- Baking time will vary depending on your oven temperature and the size and type of pan. Start checking it about 10 minutes before the time is up.
- To save prep time, use a prepared crust and raspberry jam or preserves.
Baked Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake crust:
- 2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs or finely crushed digestive biscuits
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
Raspberry cheesecake filling:
- 3 1/2 cups raspberries fresh or frozen
- 24 oz full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Raspberry sauce:
- 2 cups raspberries fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line the outer bottom and the sides of an 8-inch springform pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
Cheesecake crust:
- In a medium bowl mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter, until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup, press it into an even layer with an approximately 1 ½ inch rim around the edge.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool at room temperature.
- In the meantime make the cheesecake filling.
Raspberry cheesecake filling:
- Add the raspberries to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until softened and they released their juices. This will take about 5-10 minutes, depending if you use fresh or frozen raspberries.
- Pass the raspberry mixture through a sieve, and discard the seeds.
- Return the raspberry sauce to the saucepan and cook further over medium-high heat, frequently stirring, until it has decreased in volume to about ½ cup, this will take about 15 minutes. The final sauce reduction should be thick and dense.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sour cream (or yogurt) on low speed until smooth. Do this at low speed to avoid incorporating too much air.
- Next, mix the sugar and cornstarch separately in a bowl, and add the mix to the cream cheese mixture. Mix well until combined and smooth.
- After that, add the vanilla and mix well until evenly incorporated. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Finally, add the cooled raspberry reduction and mix well until evenly incorporated and the cheesecake filling is an even pink color. If you want a deeper pink, you can add a few drops of pink gel food coloring.
- Transfer the raspberry cheesecake filling to the prepared crust and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Reduce oven temperature to 285ºF and bake the cheesecake without opening the oven door, for about 60-65 minutes, or until the edges are fully set and slightly puffed up. The middle should be a bit wobbly when you gently shake the baking pan. Start checking your cheesecake about 10 minutes before the recommended baking time.
- Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature in the turned-off oven with the oven door ajar.
- Once cooled to room temperature, transfer it into the fridge for at least 4-6 hours or better overnight.
Raspberry sauce:
- Add 2 cups of raspberries and the sugar to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook occasionally stirring until the raspberries have softened and released their juices. It takes about 5-10 minutes.
- Pass the mixture through a sieve, and discard the seeds.
- Return the raspberry sauce back to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat frequently stirring until reduced in volume to about 1/3 cup. The sauce should be viscous and syrupy, but not quite solid as jam, it will take about 10 minutes to get to the right texture. Once thickened, set aside to cool.
- Mix the cooled reduced sauce with the remaining 2 cups of fresh raspberries, adding a small amount of water if needed to loosen up the sauce slightly. Evenly coat the raspberries in the sauce.
Assemble:
- Once the cheesecake is fully chilled, remove it from the springform pan and transfer it to a serving plate.
- Just before serving, spoon the raspberry sauce on top of the cheesecake, then slice and serve. Or you can cut the cheesecake and after that top each slice with a spoonful of the sauce.
Nutrition
