Is Ghirardelli's White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Worth The Work?

Food is such a beautiful thing. You can create so many variations from one base recipe. You can create memories, comfort & nourish the sick and learn to love new foods all through the art of cutting, chopping, tasting, and stirring.

I had a craving recently for chocolate-covered strawberries. So I picked up some dipping chocolate and also snagged a Ghiradelli white chocolate baking bar.

Also, remember to take a minute to appreciate how beautiful their chocolate is!

Once home I paid closer attention to the packaging. The front adorned with the most beautiful and delicious-looking cheesecake I have seen in a while.

It helped that it also had one of my favorite fruits with it as well - raspberries.

So I carefully opened my strawberry chocolate and read the recipe.

Heading to the store the next day I snagged up the 2 white chocolate bars I needed, as well as grahm crackers, 4 -8 oz boxes of cream cheese, 5 containers of raspberries, and cornstarch. I recommend getting more raspberries than you think you will need because almost every package of mine had at least 2 moldy berries in it.

Take this time to mentally prepare yourself because I did not.

See when I read the recipe I only read the ingredients. Then I was "halfway" done with it and realized this needs an 8 hour but ideally 24-36 hours to chill. I wanted my cheesecake then though. I was sad but persevered.

Here Is Everything You Need :

Ingredients

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs From 12 Double Graham Crackers

8 tbsp Unsalted Butter Melted

1/3 cup Sugar

8 oz Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar Two Full Bars, broken into 1/2inch pieces

1/3 cup Boiling Water

32 oz Cream Cheese Four containers, at room temperature

3/4 cup Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

3 Large Eggs At Room Temperature

1/4 tsp Salt

5 1/3 cups Fresh Raspberries Or other berries

1/4 cup Sugar

2 tsp Cornstarch

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Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

Position the oven to 350°F with a rack just below center.

In a medium bowl, mix the butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar until blended.

Press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch spring form pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Set the pan and baking sheet on a rack to cool. When cool enough to handle, grease the sides of the pan above the crust and set aside.

Cheesecake Filling

Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

Put the chocolate in a medium bowl.

Pour boiling water over the chocolate and shake the bowl to submerge the chocolate. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes without stirring.

Whisk the chocolate and water until thoroughly blended and smooth. Set aside.

Article Author Note - This is the oddest way I have ever melted chocolate I was so scared I was going to seize up $10 in white chocolate. However this method worked and worked beautifully.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth, about 45 seconds.

Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat just until smooth (about one and one-half minutes), scraping the bowl and beaters once or twice.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, just until blended.

Use a rubber spatula to stir the melted chocolate thoroughly into the filling.

Scrape the filling on top of the crust and spread it evenly.

Bake the cake, on the baking sheet, for 60 to 70 minutes, until the edges of the cake are puffed but the center still jiggles like tender gelatin when the pan is gently shaken.

Set the pan on a rack. Slide a thin paring knife carefully around the upper edges of the cake to detach it from the pan, but do not remove the pan sides.

When the cake is cool, loosen the sides of the pan but do not remove them.

Refrigerate the cake until it is thoroughly cold, before covering it with plastic wrap.

For the best flavor, keep the cake refrigerated for at least 8 hours, preferably 24 to 36 hours before topping and serving

After Whipping, blending and melting chocolate in the most bizarre way, I managed to get this thick delicious cheesecake in the oven then the fridge to chill and trust me I couldn't wait until the following evening to finish it.

Topping

Puree half of the raspberries (2 2/3 cups) with the sugar in a blender or food processor.

Strain the puree through a medium mesh strainer to remove the seeds, stirring and pressing on the solids to extract as much puree as possible.

Measure puree and add water if necessary to make 1 cup.

Whisk the cornstarch into the puree in a small non-reactive saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring constantly.

Simmer 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the puree is thickened and brighter in color. Set aside.

Uncover and remove the sides of the cake pan. If the top of the cake is moist, blot it with a dry paper towel.

Scrape the hot topping on the cold cake and spread it evenly.

Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour to set the topping.

Arrange the remaining raspberries on top of the cake. For extra decor, you can dust with powdered sugar!

So in the end Was it Worth It?

ABSOLUTELY! I have made and eaten a bit of cheesecake in my lifetime and I have to say this was not only one of the more difficult cheesecakes I have made,it was also the most delicious and beautiful. Incredibly rich yet light at the same time and the raspeberry puree without seeds was simply amazing. I actually had extra puree and used it to make raspberry syrup and compote for crepes! I am already looking forward to making it again and hope to try other Ghiradelli recipes soon!

Sources ;

Ghirardelli White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe.

The recipe within this Article is a creation of Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, I simply made the recipe and am reviewing not only the work that went into it but the outcome and overall recipe.