Chocolate raspberry cheesecake is a cream cheese-based dessert featuring chocolate and raspberries in the ingredients. The chocolate can appear in the crust, the filling, or in a topping or glaze. Raspberries can be included in the filling or topping. Complementary ingredients include nuts, cinnamon, and other berries.
The same basic ingredients begin most every cheesecake recipe. Butter, sugar, and eggs are blended together, and then combined with the primary flavor ingredients. The mixture is poured onto a prepared crust in a springform pan and then baked until the top of the cheesecake is firm.
Chocolate raspberry cheesecake can begin at the crust. Crumbled chocolate graham crackers or wafer cookies are combined with melted butter until thick like sand. This crust mixture is pressed firmly and evenly onto the bottom of a springform pan and then baked for 10 to 15 minutes.
Filling for the chocolate raspberry cheesecake can contain chocolate and/or raspberries. Chocolate syrup, sauce, or bite-sized chunks can be added to the cream cheese mixture prior to pouring onto the crust. Raspberry syrup or cooked fresh raspberries reduced until thick with a small amount of sugar can be stirred in as well.
A chocolate raspberry cheesecake can also feature a glaze or sauce that is put on after the cheesecake has baked and cooled. Ice cream topping chocolate, which hardens as it sits, can be drizzled over each slice before it is served. Raspberry sauce can also be added. Fresh raspberries and chocolate curls can be used as a garnish.
Additional ingredients can be added to create a custom recipe based around the chocolate and raspberry flavors. Finely-chopped walnuts or pecans can be stirred into the filling or sprinkled over the top of the slices before serving. Cinnamon and cardamom can be added as spices to the filling. Strawberries and blueberries can be added wherever the raspberries are utilized as a berry blend.
It is important to find a balance of sweetness when making a chocolate raspberry cheesecake. If using a sweeter form of chocolate or a sugary raspberry syrup, it's best to confine the ingredient to one area of the cheesecake. Milder forms of chocolate or fruit can appear in two or all three areas of the cheesecake. The toppings can also be served as a side so that the diners can choose how much, if any, appears on the serving of dessert.
