Decadent Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake made with healthier ingredients for a creamy, rich chocolate flavor and sweet raspberry topping. The chocolate almond crust is made from coconut oil, bittersweet chocolate, fresh crushed almonds, and oats for a full bodied flavor. Our luscious chocolate cheesecake uses Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and ricotta cheese for a silky texture that melts in your mouth.

Topped with our scratch made raspberry sauce and dollops of homemade whipped cream, this chocolate raspberry cheesecake is perfect for holidays, dinner parties, birthdays, or any other special occasion.

Cheesecake can be an intimidating dessert for many to make, but we have a lot of experience with cheesecake, and we are walking you through exactly how to make this one. By following the tips and tricks in this post, you can be sure you will be successful in baking a decadent chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

What is chocolate cheesecake made of?

Cheesecake is a definite favorite at our house as you will find if you search around in our cheesecake section…. And then I made THIS cheesecake… hands down all the family loves this dessert! From the chocolate almond crust to the rich, creamy, chocolate cheesecake filling, and the lovely fresh raspberry topping.

Just like the base of any cheesecake, cream cheese is the base that gives it its name. We are also using ricotta and plain Greek style yogurt to give a light, airy texture that is perfect for the bold flavor of a chocolate cheesecake.

Sugar, eggs, pure vanilla extract, and good quality bittersweet chocolate make up the rest of this delicious filling. The chocolate is melted down and then poured over the creamed ingredients and hand folded in for a billowy filling that bakes to perfection.

What are the two types of cheesecakes?

A regular cheesecake incorporates cream cheese and sour cream to build a lighter filling that isn’t so heavy in texture. New York cheesecakes use extra cream cheese for a dense, tangy, rich filling; it also uses eggs to create a smooth consistency and bind everything together. The eggs give the cheesecake its tight structure.

Our recipe for chocolate raspberry cheesecake is somewhat of a combination of the two. We use egg and cream cheese…but rather that sour cream, we reached for ricotta and Greek style yogurt.

What chocolate is best to use for chocolate cheesecake?

Chocolate cheesecakes can be made with many different forms of chocolate. The most common is using dark chocolate chips or bittersweet baking chocolate. The brick chocolate or chocolate chips will be melted down before mixing in with the cream cheese filling and other ingredients.

Coffee or espresso shots are also sometimes used in chocolate cheesecakes as a way to intensify and deepen the flavor even further. We find that this chocolate raspberry cheesecake has the perfect chocolate flavor and pairs beautifully with the sweet raspberry sauce.

What cream cheese is best for cheesecakes?

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is just like any other cheesecake. For the best filling you need to use a full fat cream cheese. Yes, you can use others, but they will not yield the same flavor or texture. Whipped cream cheeses will be too light and won’t give the cheesecake a strong enough structure.

Philly cream cheese has dominated the market for cheesecake cream cheeses, so it’s a great brand to reach for.

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe

Chocolate raspberry cheesecake is simple, straightforward recipe with very little fuss and a wonderful, creamy texture.

Making the chocolate almond crust

• Melt chocolate in your microwave in a small microwaveable pot for about a minute, or heat on the stove using a double boiler. stir and set aside.
• Pulse almonds and oats in a food processor until they are a fine crumb consistency.
• In a medium bowl stir together, almond mixture, melted chocolate and coconut oil.
• Add to a greased 9″ springform pan and press crumbs evenly on bottom and 1″ up the sides of the pan.
• If you find the crust hard to form; cool it a bit while preparing the filling and complete shaping the crust when it is a little cooler than your finger tips.

Making the chocolate cheesecake filling

• Melt chocolate as you did for the crust, turn off heat when completely melted.
• Chocolate should still be warm when adding to the filling.
• Using a stand mixer, beat cheeses in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy and smooth.
• Add sugar, eggs individually, yogurt and vanilla beating after each addition until ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Pour warm chocolate into mixture and mix until chocolate is well combined.
• Pour filling into prepared crust, place on a cookie sheet and bake on the center oven rack 45 minutes, or until top is set. Some wiggle should be visible in the center.
• Open the oven door and allow the cheesecake to cool while remaining in the oven for a bit.
• Leave cheesecake in its spring form pan while cooling on a rack, to room temperature. Cracks appearing in the top and settling are normal and will be filled with the topping.
• Cool in the refrigerator until firmly set, about 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator and allow to set at room temperature about 5 minutes.
• Run a warm knife around the outside of the cheesecake before releasing sides of springfoam pan.
• Leave the cheesecake on the bottom part of the springform pan for easy serving.

How to make a homemade raspberry sauce

For this recipe as directed, the raspberry sauce is very simple and easy to make. We used pre-made raspberry jam, and added fresh raspberries for added texture and flavor. If you want to make a fresh raspberry sauce completely from scratch, you can use our homemade raspberry sauce recipe.

• In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add jelly and stir until melted, remove from heat.
• Add raspberries to warm jelly and gently toss to coat.
• Pour raspberry sauce evenly over the top of the cheesecake and refrigerate until ready to serve.

How do I bake the best chocolate raspberry cheesecake?

Cheesecakes are an intimidating dessert, and while they do require some attention to details and a few specific techniques to be followed; they are very easily achievable for anyone to bake. Here are our best tips for baking the best chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

• Mix the filling well, but not too much. Over mixing the filling of cheesecake can cause it to lose its structure which will result in falling during baking. Be gentle when mixing the filling, and only until a smooth texture has been achieved.
• Oil the springform pan really well. There is nothing worse than a cheesecake that breaks apart when you are removing the side of the pan, because the crust is sticking. Use a good amount of coconut oil to grease the pan and keep the crust from sticking.
• Cheesecake needs to cook low and slow in order to bake properly. They are thick and dense, so proper heat distribution is important. If the heat is to intense you run the risk of drying out the top of the cheesecake and cracking the surface. Cheesecakes are done when the edges are firm and there is a slight wiggle in the center.
• Make sure the cheesecakes are not shocked by extreme temperature changes when transferring from the oven to your counter. Cracking the oven door and allowing the cheesecake to gradually cool while still in the oven will prevent it from falling and cracking.
• Water baths (placing a pie dish filled with some water on the rack below your cheesecake while it’s baking) will also help to prevent cracking and falling by creating steam. This recipe does not call for a water bath, but you use one if you desire.
• Placing the cheesecake on a baking sheet in the oven will help it bake gradually and prevent the bottom of the crust from burning.

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Recipe Source: Skinny moms.com