White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle® Cheesecake


    Top Secret Recipes version of
The Cheesecake Factory®
White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle® Cheesecake

    
    

    A restaurant food cloning mission could not be thorough without
reverse-engineering this top-selling cheesecake from The Cheesecake
Factory. I'm not
sure why it's called "truffle," but who cares when you've got raspberry
preserves swirled throughout the cream cheese filling, with a layer
white chocolate
chunks on a crumbled chocolate cookie wafer crust. Yum. No wonder this
cheesecake is the number one pick from the chain's massive list of
choices.      
Crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
    or 20 crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)
1/3 cup margarine, melted

1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/4 cup water
4 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Optional Garnish
2 ounces shaved white chocolate
whipped cream      

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet
filled
with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats. This will
be
your water bath.
2. Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium
microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave.
Stir until smooth.
Strain to remove the raspberry seeds (toss 'em out), then let the
strained
preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until
later.
3. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or crush 20 Oreo cookie
wafers
-- with the filling scraped out -- in a resealable plastic bag) into a
medium
bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch
spring
form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment
paper. Use
the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the
bottom
of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of
foil
around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath.
Put the
crust in your freezer until the filling is done.
4. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar,
sour
cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients
are smooth
and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the
eggs in a
medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the
mixture
just enough to integrate the eggs.
5. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white
chocolate
chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese
filling
into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface
of the
filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream
cheese. Just
a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and
cream
cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the
crust.
6. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake
for
12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and
bake for
50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown
or tan
color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake
is
cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it
in the
refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
7. Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2
ounces of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into
12 equal
portions. Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice
and serve.