Raspberry Cheesecake

I initially wrote a blog post about friendship, loyalty, and honesty. But you lot don't really care about that, so I'm just going to go straight to this week's recipe share: baked raspberry cheesecake. 

Raspberry Cheesecake

For the crust:

• 200g digestives
• 100g butter, melted

1. Grease & line a 7" springform tin with parchment paper
2. Combine the crushed biscuits and melted butter in a medium bowl and then pour into the prepared baking tin and press up the sides and the bottom
3. Cover with a clean cloth and refrigerate the crust for at least 10 minute

For the cheesecake filling:

• 450g Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cold
• 3/4 cup caster sugar 
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 heaped tbsp all purpose flour
• 300g (roughly 1 1/2 cup) fresh raspberries

1. Pop the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl, beat until it blends into a smooth mixture then gradually add the milk and continue to beat 
2. Beat the eggs in one at a time, and make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to ensure it's all mixed properly
3. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and flour in one addition and beat until thoroughly combined
4. Take the tin with the crust out of the fridge, wrap it with tinfoil and place the tin in a larger roasting tray or baking tin 
5. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform tin about 1/3 of the way up and scatter fresh raspberries, cover with more filling, and scatter more raspberries, repeat until all the filling has been poured in
6. Pour hot water into the larger roasting tray/baking tin until it comes up to about 3/4 of the springform tin with the cheesecake inside
7. Carefully transfer the entire thing to the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then leave the cake inside the oven until the oven has cooled. Remove the cake when that's done, and cover it with a clean cloth and leave it in the fridge overnight to set 

For the topping:

• 150ml thickened cream
• 2 tbsp sifted confectioners sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Raspberry coulis (see below for recipe)

1. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until slightly firmer. Don't overbeat or you'll end up with sweet butter
2. Pipe out some pretty swirls around the edges of the top of the cheesecake, then cover the top with the remaining cream
3. Spoon out some raspberry coulis over the top of the cream
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Raspberry Coulis

• 250g fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water

1. In a saucepan, bring the raspberries, sugar and water to a boil. Simmer until the fruit is mushy then stir in the vanilla
2. Remove from heat, allow it to cool then pour it all into a blender and whizz to a puree
3. Strain the puree through a sieve, then slather your cake layers with the goop