Dessert: White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Swirl

Recipe by Lauren Salkeld With a decadent raspberry swirl, this cheesecake looks as decadent as it tastes.

Ingredients

15 graham crackers
3 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Make the crust: Butter a 9" springform pan. Wrap bottom and sides of pan in double layer of aluminum foil. Set rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In food processor or blender, grind graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Transfer to medium bowl, add melted butter, and use fork or fingers to blend mixture until crumbs are evenly moist. Press into bottom and about a third of the way up sides of springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.
Place pan on baking sheet and bake crust 10 minutes. Set on rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Make the raspberry sauce: In food processor or blender, purée berries and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour through fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl, pushing on berries to release any juices; discard solids. Set aside.
Make the cheesecake: Bring medium saucepan or teakettle full of water to boil.
In a clean, dry metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or large bowl with hand mixer), beat cream cheese on medium, scraping down bowl as necessary, until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt and beat, scraping down bowl as necessary, until smooth and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down bowl as necessary. Add melted white chocolate, sour cream, and heavy cream and beat on low until fully incorporated and completely smooth, about 1 minute.
Pour cheesecake batter into cooled crust and smooth top. Drop teaspoons of raspberry sauce all over top of cheesecake. Use a wooden skewer or toothpick to swirl sauce into batter. Place cheesecake in deep roasting pan and set on middle rack of oven. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until top is just starting to brown and crack, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off oven, prop door open with wooden spoon, and let cheesecake slowly cool in water bath for 1 hour.
Remove roasting pan from oven, then carefully lift springform pan out of water and remove foil. Set cheesecake on a rack and let come to room temperature. Once completely cool, loosely cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. When ready to serve, carefully remove sides of springform pan. (The cheesecake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.)