Cheesecake with Raspberries & Chocolate

This cheesecake proves you don’t need hours in the kitchen to make something that looks and tastes impressive. A simple filling of cream cheese, sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla bakes in just 20 minutes in a ready-made chocolate wafer crust.

The layering is where the drama happens. Warm fudge sauce gets spooned over the partially cooled cheesecake in dollops, then carefully spread into a smooth, glossy chocolate blanket. Fresh raspberries arranged on top just before serving bring tart, jewel-bright pops of color and flavor against all that chocolate richness.

A light dusting of powdered sugar and cocoa powder over the berries, with a few mint leaves tucked between, turns a simple cheesecake into something that looks like it came from a pastry case.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the cream cheese until completely smooth before adding the other filling ingredients. Lumps in cheesecake are permanent
• Bake until the top is almost set in the center. A slight jiggle is fine. It firms up as it cools
• Wait the full 5 minutes before adding the fudge dollops. Too early and the fudge sinks into the filling instead of sitting on top
• Spread the fudge after 15 more minutes of cooling when it’s thick enough to stay put but still warm enough to spread evenly

Variations

• Use fresh strawberries or blackberries instead of raspberries for a different berry pairing
• Swap the chocolate wafer crust for a graham cracker crust for a lighter base
• Drizzle white chocolate over the finished cake for a two-tone chocolate effect