This year it was my turn to bring dessert for Easter dinner. Dessert is the hardest! It's like at Thanksgiving, after all that wonderful food and lots of it! - the dessert is something that usually doesn't get eaten right after the meal. I searched and searched on line for dessert recipes that had raspberry so that I could use up the raspberry jam I canned last year that was too runny to use for jam. This cheesecake looks elegant, wasn't overly sweet, has the consistency and taste of a "real" cheesecake, is very easy to make and a small slice with a spoonful of raspberry on top was perfect with a cup of coffee after a large meal.
Marbled Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened (I always buy the generic brand)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.) (again! generic!)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen raspberries, thawed, pureed and strained (used my leftover canning disasters!)
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, sugar, half-and-half and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
REMOVE 1 cup of the batter; place in small bowl. Add cocoa; mix well. Spoon half of the chocolate batter into pie crust; cover with plain batter. Top with spoonfuls of the remaining chocolate batter. Cut through batters several times for marble effect.
BAKE 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Serve topped with the raspberry sauce. Store leftover cheesecake and raspberry sauce in refrigerator.
