White Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs, leave in the middles-crush cookies in food processor
2 T butter, melted
Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter, firmly press mixture evenly in bottom and up sides of a 10 inch springform pan.
Wrap the outside of the pan with large heavy duty foil, covering the entire bottom and extending up sides. Use foil that is large enough for one piece of foil to cover entire bottom and up sides.
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
8 oz. melted white chocolate chips
¾ cup whipping cream
¾ cup seedless raspberry jam, melted in microwave
Place 1 (8 oz) cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and ¼ cup cornstarch in a large bowl and beat at low speed until creamy, scraping occasionally.
Beat in 3 (8 oz) cream cheese, increase speed to high and beat in 1 2/3 cups sugar, then
2 tsp vanilla.
Blend in 2 eggs, one at a time
Blend the melted white chocolate chips into cheese mixture.
Add ¾ cup heavy whipping cream and beat just to blend. Set aside.
Stir melted raspberry jam in a small bowl until smooth.
Spoon half of cream cheese mixture into prepared crust, spread raspberry jam over batter, leaving a ¾ inch border. Spoon remaining cream cheese batter around edges of pan, spreading toward the center and covering raspberry jam in pan.
Place pan in large shallow pan containing hot water about 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake
1 hour and 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. The center should barely jiggle when you shake the pan.
Cool on wire rack 1 hour. Cover cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove sides from pan.
Chocolate Mousse
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips,
6 oz unsalted butter
6 eggs, separated
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ cup plus 4 T sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
Put the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl and heat in microwave until softened. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly.
Using a whisk, beat the egg yolks into the chocolate, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in ½ cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl, beat the whipping cream until it begins to thicken up. Add the remaining 4T sugar and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream holds soft peaks.
Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the whipped cream. Take care not to over work the mousse or it will be heavy.
After cheesecake has chilled 8 hours, spread chocolate mousse over the top of the cheesecake.
Chocolate Ganache
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
Combine 1/3 cup whipping cream and 1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips, melt in microwave. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. Remove from heat.
Carefully spread mixture over cheesecake, allowing it to drip down sides.