Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
These raspberry swirl cheesecake bars put a fresh, fruity spin on a classic dessert. Creamy cheesecake is swirled with tangy raspberry purée and layered over a buttery crust with toasted almonds, creating a beautiful bite that's as impressive-looking as it is delicious.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a 9×9-inch square pan with enough parchment paper to have overhang on all sides.
- For crust, add graham crackers, toasted almonds, brown sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture is finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse until mixture is evenly moistened. Pour crust mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set crust aside to cool slightly. Leave oven on.
- For puree, place raspberries into the bowl of a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Pour mixture into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Use a spatula to press raspberries through the strainer, leaving seeds behind; discard seeds. This should yield 1/4 to 1/3 cup strained raspberry puree. Whisk in 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside.
- For filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and combined. Add heavy cream; beat until incorporated. Add egg and beat until smooth and combined. Filling will be slightly thick. Pour filling over crust; spread into an even layer. Drizzle raspberry puree randomly over the top, and use a toothpick or knife to swirl it into the filling a few times; don’t overdo it. Tap pan gently on the counter a few times to help the batter resettle.
- Bake bars in the preheated oven until puffed and with only a slight jiggle in the center remains, 35 to 40 minutes. Let bars to cool to room temperature on the counter, about 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove bars from the pan using the parchment overhang. Cut into 16 bars. Store in the refrigerator.
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