RASPBERRY MOUSSE CHEESECAKE
RASPBERRY MOUSSE CHEESECAKE
RASPBERRY MOUSSE CHEESECAKE
This Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake is not only pretty to look at, it’s really delicious. You get a thick and rich white cake base with whole sweet Raspberries, a smooth and creamy Cheesecake middle layer, and a Raspberry Mousse top layer that’s sweet and thick and tangy! Top it off with Butter cream Frosting in billowy dollops and Sugared Raspberries, and you have an absolutely stunning and wonderful dessert to serve at any occasion, that everyone is sure to love.
- HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:BOTTOM LAYER – CAKE MIX:
1 White Cake Mix - 1 cup of Milk
- 1/2 cup of Oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup of Whole Raspberries
- 1 Cup of Sugar
Middle layer cheesecake:
- 2 Packages of Cream Cheese – 8 ounces – softened
- 3/4 cup of Sugar
- 1/4 cup of Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
Top layer raspberry mousse:
- 2 cups of Whole fresh Raspberries
- 1 Cup of Sugar
- 1 1/4 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup of Powdered Sugar - 1 Package of Knox Unflavored Gelatin
- 1/2 cup of Water
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
- 1/3 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
- 2 ounces of Cream Cheese – Softened
- 3 Tablespoons of Butter – softened
- 4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
TO SUGAR WHOLE RASPBERRIES:
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 2 cups of Whole Fresh Raspberries
- 1 Large Jar of Red decorating Sugars
1 Large Jar of White Decorating Sugars
COOKS TOOLS NEEDED:
7 ” Spring Form Pan- Parchment Paper
- Blender
- Mixer
- Fine Strainer or Sieve
- Whipped Cream Frosting Tip
- Pastry Bag
- Cookie sheet
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
THIS IS DONE IN STEPS. NONE OF THE STEPS ARE COMPLICATED, OR HARD. JUST FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND IT WILL COME TOGETHER PRETTY QUICKLY.
Wash the Raspberries in a colander under cool running water, and lay on paper towels to dry. Place any unused berries in the refrigerator, until time to use them, to maintain freshness.
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, place the Cake mix, Milk, Oil, and Eggs, and mix until all ingredients are well blended. Turn the mixer up to Medium High, and mix for 2 minutes, stopping about half way through to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix until done. Line the bottom of the Spring-form Pan with Parchment paper. Place the Raspberries in a bowl, and sprinkle 1 cup of Sugar over the berries, and toss lightly with a spoon, to coat. Fold in the Fresh (washed and sweetened) Raspberries into the cake batter. Pour about half of the cake batter into the Spring-form pan, and place the pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (You can make muffins out of the leftover cake batter, or a small cake, or discard if you choose – I made muffins, they were great) When the cake is done, remove from the oven to a wire rack, and with a smooth bottom glass, press down gently on the top of the cake, making it level, and not puffed up, so when you add your other layers they will be smooth and even. Allow the Cake to cool completely.
CHEESECAKE LAYER:
Rinse out the mixing bowl, and add the Cream Cheese, Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Heavy Whipping Cream, and Vanilla. Mix on low until ingredients are well blended, then turn up the Mixer to Medium, and mix until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, and blending again until thick and smooth. Make sure the Cake layer in the pan is cool, and pour the Cheesecake layer on top of the Cake layer, and place the Spring-form pan in the Freezer. Allow the Cake to sit in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
While the Cake is freezing, prepare the Raspberries for the Mousse; place 2 cups of whole-washed Raspberries in a blender, add 1 cup of Sugar, and pulse until the Berries are pureed. Place a Strainer/Sieve over a bowl, and press the Smashed/pureed Berries (with the back of a spoon) through the Strainer/Sieve, leaving the seeds in the Strainer, and the pureed Berries in the Bowl. Set aside.
RASPBERRY MOUSSE LAYER:
Place the Whipping Cream in the Blender, and add the Powdered Sugar, and blend on high speed until thick and creamy. Place in the Refrigerator. In a small bowl, add the 1/2 cup of Water, and Sprinkle one Envelope of the Unflavored Gelatin over the water, and let the Gelatin sit, or bloom – it will soak up the Water, and this takes about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir the gelatin. Remove the Whipped Cream from the Refrigerator. Add the Gelatin to the Raspberry Puree in the Bowl, and stir well. Add the Raspberry Mixture to the Whipped Cream, and fold in gently. and place in the Refrigerator.
When the Cheesecake/Cake has been in the Freezer for 4 hours, remove it from the Freezer, and remove the Raspberry Mouse from the Refrigerator. Place the Raspberry Mousse on top of the Cheesecake layer, making the top layer to the dessert. Place the pan back in the Freezer, and leave it overnight.
SUGAR THE RASPBERRIES:
Make the Simple Syrup by adding the Water, and Sugar to a saucepan, and bringing it to a boil. Set aside, and let cool completely – you can pour this into a small dish, or bowl, and place in the refrigerator to cool. When the Simple Syrup is cool, place it on your counter, and line a cookie sheet with Parchment Paper, and place it next to the cooled Syrup. Pour the Red, and White Decorating Sugars out on a large paper plate, or tray. YOU CAN JUST USE RED SUGARS IF YOU PREFER – I USED A MIXTURE OF RED AND WHITE ON SOME BERRIES, AND JUST RED SUGARS ON SOME BERRIES – IF YOU’RE JUST USING ONE COLOR, YOU’LL NEED 2 JARS OF THAT COLOR OF SUGARS. Take the Whole Raspberries, two at a time, and dip them in the Syrup, and immediately into the Decorating Sugars, Coating the berries in the Sugars. Repeat until you have Sugared all the Berries. Lay the Berries on the Parchment lined Cookie Sheet, and when all berries are Sugared, place them in the Freezer. (Note – the Sugars become sticky with the Syrup after a few dips, so you’ll need to keep adding more sugars to stick to the Berries – I dipped the Berries into the sugars, and poured the sugars right onto the Berries to make sure they were well coated with the Sugars).
TO DECORATE THE TOP OF THE CHEESECAKE:
In the mixing bowl of a Stand Mixer, add the Heavy Whipping Cream, Vanilla, and Sugar, and mix on high until thick, and stiff peaks form. Add the Softened Cream Cheese, cut into small pieces, and blend. Add the Softened Butter, cut into small pieces, and blend until smooth. Add the 4 cups of Powdered Sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well between additions, and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl when needed. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place the Butter Cream Frosting in a Pastry bag with the Whipped Cream Tip – see link – and Pipe big dollops of the Frosting around the edge of the Cheesecake, using a back and forth twisting motion, as you pipe the dollops onto the edge. (If you haven’t used this tip before, practice piping the Frosting on Parchment Paper before piping on the edge of the Cheesecake. You’ll start by pressing on the pastry bag to press the frosting through the tip, and you’ll twist the bag as the Frosting comes out of the bag, making a billowy ribbon like dollop. Don’t discard the Frosting on the Parchment paper, simply place it back in the Pastry bag. When you’ve finished with the Frosting, remove the Sugared Raspberries from the Freezer, and place a Sugared Raspberry in the Center of each Dollop, and then place the Raspberries in the center of the Cheesecake – see photo. Cut into 2 inch pieces, serve, and Enjoy!
Makes 8 to 10 servings
