Hi Bakers,

Baking is my happy place and I really needed some of that this week. I decided to make a fabulous and somewhat time consuming dessert that’s a raspberry lovers delight. This pink cheesecake is full of raspberry taste with a beautiful color too. I ramped up the flavor by adding raspberry sauce and freeze dried raspberries to the rich cream cheese filling. Then, I used even more raspberry sauce and fresh berries to garnish. Ruby chocolate in the filing brings additional fruity flavor to the filling. Buttery graham cracker crust and tangy sour cream topping perfectly complement the raspberry flavor of this decadent bake. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to make and chill this epic dessert. Enjoy~Carolyn

Gluten-Free Raspberry Cheesecake

Makes one 9 1/4” cheesecake

Crust

1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham crackers

1/4 cup almond flour or more graham crackers

1/4 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons melted butter

Raspberry Sauce

12 ounce bag frozen raspberries

Cheesecake Filling

1 1/2 pounds full fat cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1/3 cup raspberry sauce

4 tablespoons freeze-dried raspberry powder

3 ounces ruby chocolate or white chocolate, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sour Cream Topping

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Garnish

fresh raspberries

raspberry sauce

raspberry powder

fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 325F. Crush the graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin until only fine crumbs remain. Add almond flour, sugar and whisk together in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1” up the sides of a 9 1/4”springform pan. Press crumbs firmly with a flat measuring cup or your hand into the pan. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Heat frozen raspberries in a saucepan over medium-heat until thawed and the liquid is thickened slightly. Stir as needed to prevent burning. Strain out the seeds and reserve 1/3 cup of mixture for the filling. Save the rest for garnish.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and mix until just combined. Next, add the remaining ingredients mixing to combine after each addition. Wrap the bottom of your springform pan in a single piece of foil to prevent butter leaks in the oven. Pour Cheesecake batter into the pan and smooth the top. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake for about 44-55 minutes or until the cheesecake tests done in the center. You want some creamy cheesecake on the tester but not liquid batter. It should still jiggle if you shake the pan gently. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then cover and chill for 6 hours minimum. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream topping ingredients together until smooth. Remove the chilled cheesecake from the fridge and spread topping evenly over the center. Garnish with fresh berries and mint if desired. Use extra raspberry sauce and/or freeze-dried powder to garnish individual servings.