Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake Brownie Bars

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Like the name, this is truly a mouthful with so many interesting flavours

I often get asked how I come up with some of my recipes – the honest truth is I have 100’s (literally) of recipe books which I draw inspiration from, but many of the ideas are borne out of a certain “need”. Below I share a long ramble, to take you on the journey of how this recipe has been created. Of course, you can shoot straight to the recipe if you find this too boring, but aligned to my mission to get people to bake more, I implore you to read the below and then find your own creativity through this recipe.

I am NOT a purist, at heart. I believe that recipes should be combined, flavours should be explored and innovating is exciting. Sure, a dense, fudgy brownie is delicious, but a few bites in and it can feel overly indulgent. A sharp, bright, fruity flavour would help with this – the inclusion of raspberries not only helps with cutting through the richness, but also adds a striking red contrast to the otherwise brown(ie) colour.

Great, so we have figured out how to balance the overall indulgent factor, but I also found the brownie on its own a bit too bitter (PS. My Ultimate Brownie Recipe is my go-to for when I want something indulgent with the perfect balance of sweet, to bitter, with a salty edge). Now some of you may be wondering why I would not just use the same brownie recipe …but that story would take too long to explain and it has to do with getting the perfect look of even layers of white and brown.

Whilst the dark chocolate on its own felt a bit too bitter, the opposite is often true for white chocolate – it can sometimes be too cloyingly sweet. Pair them together however, and balance is restored with a bake that has a creamy top and a fudgy bottom. The vehicle to carry the white chocolate is in the form of a cheesecake which adds creaminess and also an edge of tang which pairs well with the raspberries. And there you have it – a new recipe is created!

So, how do you find your own creativity through this recipe? A blueberry compote would work as well in here as the raspberries. How about some roasted hazelnuts to add texture, which would work well with the chocolate and the blueberries. Fruit not your thing? That’s ok – try caramelizing your white chocolate and adding a touch of cardamom to the cheesecake layer, to amplify flavour. Whether you choose to make this recipe as is or make it your own, I hope you love it and get to share it with those you love – because baking is better, shared 🙂

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE MAKING THESE RASPBERRY RIPPLE CHEESECAKE BROWNIE BARS?

Can I make these gluten free? I have not tested this personally, but the main source of gluten is the cake flour. As this is a fairly small quantity, I do not see why substituting it for a gluten-free variety would not work. Feel free to try it out and let me know.

Do I need to use 70% dark chocolate? The level of chocolate helps with the set, but also the flavour. Using a lower cocoa percentage would result in quite a sweet brownie, which together with the cheesecake may be too sweet. I personally would not recommend it.

Can I use frozen raspberries to make this, instead of fresh? Yes, you absolutely can, but let them thaw first before using them.

What type of cream cheese should I use? Full Fat! Always full fat unless the recipe states otherwise. The fat content is an important ingredient in helping the cheesecake set and deliver that creamy texture. If you choose to use a low fat version and end up with a soupy mess, don’t blame the recipe (and by implication, me!).

What type of white chocolate should I use? I mention this in most of my recipes which use white chocolate – Milky Bar is not white chocolate in it’s pure form. It is not made out of cocoa butter. It is also why the wrapping says “creamy, white confection” and not white chocolate. You can use this, but it would be sweeter than using coveture white chocolate with a 30% cocoa butter content.

RECIPE TIMELINE

I have begun adding a recipe timeline to bakes, which people deem as complicated (which it really is not!) or having a few components. I deliberately write out my recipes in great detail, so that people can understand it and have maximum success. Where there are a few components, I include a recipe timeline to help you plan and also manage your expectations on how long until you can enjoy your bake 🙂

It is easier to keep each of the recipe components together when writing a recipe, but the truth is I often do things in tandem, and that makes the process go a lot quicker than when you initially look at a recipe on paper. I hope this helps you and makes the recipe feel more approachable, but if it is too much just ignore it and do each component as you need to.

Total Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Bake Time: Approximately 30 minutes
Total Post Bake Rest Time: 2 hours in the fridge (use you judgement here)
Total time until you can enjoy: 3 hours

Breakdown of Prep Time (Approximately 30 minutes)

5 minutes – Melt the butter and the chocolate and let cool. Yes, you want your melted butter and chocolate mixture to cool a bit before adding it to the eggs, but it does not have to be at room temperature, it can still be warm.

5 minutes – Melt the white chocolate. This is pretty quick to do in a microwave in short bursts. Do this whilst your brownie mix is cooling. I then pop it into the fridge to cool faster, but do not leave it for too long.

3 minutes – Make the raspberry ripple. Super effortless whilst both white chocolate and dark chocolate brownie butter is cooling.

7 minutes – Make the rest of the brownie. The chocolate mixture should have cooled enough by now and you can proceed with the brownie recipe. Pop this into the tin.

7 minutes – Make the cheesecake recipe. Similar to the brownie, quick to come together. Just ensure the white chocolate is not too cold in the fridge. Pop into your tin.

2 minutes – Swirl through the raspberry ripple. Add in the raspberry ripple and swirl through and you are ready to bake!

OTHER RECIPES TO TRY IF YOU ENJOY THIS ONE

If you make this recipe, please share it with me by tagging me on Instagram @adventureswithsugar or on Facebook at Adventures with Sugar. Please also leave a comment below to let me know how you got on with the recipe.

FOR THE BROWNIE

125g butter (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
25g cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
90g 70% dark chocolate
35g milk chocolate
2 large eggs
75g caster sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
75g brown sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
60g cake flour (1/2 cup)
50g fresh raspberries
Pinch of flakey sea salt

METHOD

Prepare your tin and pre-heat your oven: Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius and grease and line with baking paper a 20cm square tin. Allow a 2cm overhang on two opposite sides of the tin, so it is easy to lift out the brownies.
Bloom the cocoa and melt chocolate in butter: Melt the butter, then add in the cocoa powder and whisk to bloom the cocoa powder. Add in the chocolate and stir until melted.
Whisk the eggs and sugar: Leave to cool slightly, whilst you use a hand mixer to whisk the eggs, vanilla and both sugars until tripled in volume and pale in colour.
Add in the melted chocolate and flour: Slowly pour in the melted chocolate mixture and mix. Lastly, fold in the flour.
Add to your tin and add the raspberries: Pour into your tin, scatter over raspberries and salt and set aside.

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

250g cream cheese, room temperature
50g caster sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cornflour
60g sour cream (1/4 cup)
80g melted white chocolate
2 large eggs
50g fresh raspberries

METHOD

Beat the cream cheese and sugar: Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Then add in the sugar and continue to beat.
Add the remaining ingredients except the eggs: Add in the corn flour, vanilla, cooled white chocolate and continue to beat.
Add in the eggs: Lastly fold in the eggs until just combined and you have a smooth, creamy batter.
Add the cheesecake to the pan and add raspberries: Spoon this carefully onto the brownie mixture in dollops, and use an offset spatula to spread evenly. Try to take care not too mix the brownie batter and the cheesecake, if you can. Add a few whole raspberries randomly on top.

FOR THE RASPBERRY RIPPLE

100g fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour

METHOD

Mash raspberries: Mash the raspberries with a fork, keeping some of them chunky.
Add remaining ingredients: Add in the sugar and cornflour and mix.
Add to the cheesecake layer: Dollop them randomly on the cheesecake and use a knife to swirl them around, creating ripples.
Bake: Bake for 30 -35 minutes, until the cheesecake is just set and browning on the edges
Cool in fridge: Let cool completely in the tin, before setting in the fridge for at least two hours for the cheesecake to set.
How to cut clean slices: Dip a sharp, straight edged knife in boiling water and wipe down before slicing, to get a nice, neat slice.