Tara Walker's Baked White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake

Chef Tara Walker's recipe for her Baked White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake as seen in Irish Country Living. 

Ingredients:
Base:

• 250g digestive biscuits, crushed 100g butter, melted

Filling:

• 350g cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia)
• 85g caster sugar
• 3 large Hidell Organic Eggs
• 185g white chocolate
• 200g tub sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150g raspberries (Gerry's Fresh Fruit has gorgeous ones when in season, otherwise use frozen) If using fresh raspberries, save about 10 of the best ones for the top.
• Optional: some icing sugar to sprinkle over and some fresh mint leaves

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C / 150°C Fan / Gas 2.
• Grease a ​20cm spring release​ tin with a little of the melted butter.
• Mix the crushed biscuits and melted butter in a bowl and press into the bottom of the tin, chill in the fridge while making the filling.
• Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and the sugar together until smooth.
• Add the eggs, beating after each one. 
• Melt the white chocolate (in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water or in the microwave)
• Add the sour cream to the melted chocolate, stirring until smooth.
• Add this to the cream cheese mixture and combine well.
• Pour half the filling onto the biscuit base, sprinkle the raspberries over the mixture. You can use them straight from frozen. Then, spread the other half of the mixture over the top.
• Bake for an hour in the oven, then allow cooling, carefully remove from the tin and serve at room temperature or cover and chill in the fridge (I sometimes eat this warm but it can crumble a little).

Tip 1: Keep an eye on the cheesecake in the oven, if the top is getting too dark but the cake is still wobbly, place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the top to prevent it from burning.

Tip 2: The cake will probably come out of the oven very well risen and then collapse a bit-don’t panic, this is normal!!

To garnish, place some of the raspberries around the edge of the cake and sprinkle with the icing sugar.

Enjoy!