Seven Days of Valentine Sweets: White Chocolate Raspberry Heart Swirled Cheesecake by Cooking Classy

1 store-bought Oreo or graham cracker crust (wash and save the lid, for storing cheesecake)

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (no thawing necessary if frozen)

12 oz. cream cheese (1 1/2 pkg.), softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Stir in cold water and add raspberries. Cook over medium-high heat whisking frequently, until mixture reaches a boil. Reduce to medium-low and allow mixture to simmer about 5 minutes whisking constantly, until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and force sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove seeds, set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until combine, about 30 seconds. Mix in egg and egg white. Blend in vanilla and lemon juice, set mixture aside. Combine white chocolate chips and cream in microwave safe bowl and heat mixture in microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth.

Add melted chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth. Tap bowl forcefully against counter top several times to release some of the air bubbles (being careful not to splash it). Pour 2/3 cup cheesecake mixture into the Oreo crust and spread evenly over bottom. Drizzle top with 2 Tbsp raspberry sauce. Slowly ladle remaining cheesecake mixture over the drizzled raspberry sauce, covering all the raspberry sauce (you just don’t want it to show through). Swirl cheesecake with a toothpick (your just swirling the inside layer of sauce for now, be careful not to let the sauce show through). Carefully giggle the pan to even out the top. Fill a clean medicine syringe with raspberry sauce and start in the center of cheesecake and begin to pipe small circles in a swirl pattern over cheesecake. Take a toothpick and beginning with the center circle, run the toothpick through the center of each circle to create hearts (don’t lift the toothpick out until you finish the last circle). Refrigerate remaining raspberry sauce.

Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes, then turn oven off and leave cheesecake in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cover with saved lid and refrigerate until fully set about 6 hours. Top slices with remaining raspberry sauce and optional sweetened whipped cream. Store in refrigerator.serves 8

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy