Here's the Dish: Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes

There’s never been a recipe that I’ve been more sure that you’ll *LOVE* than this one! It comes from the Cake Mix Doctor ~ she has several cookbooks on the market and I own four of them. I would strongly suggest that you get one for yourself because they are extremely easy to follow, and her recipes yield fantastic results. Seriously, I have never made one single thing that hasn’t been downright fabulous. I made these delectable “cupcakes” for a pre-Memorial Day gathering and they were a huge hit. They are the perfect light summer dessert ~ frozen, not baked, so you never turn the oven on! And the fact that reduced fat cream cheese and fresh berries are used means you don’t have to feel guilty for not skipping dessert ;) Keep in mind that the below recipe yields 12 mini cheesecakes, so feel free to increase the quantities if you require more. Trust me, you’ll probably want more! You can even use strawberries in place of the fresh raspberries, if you prefer.

Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes

Ingredients:

12 foil cupcake liners (2 1/2" size)

3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 c. finely chopped pecans

3 T. butter, melted

1 c. fresh raspberries, washed and drained*

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Line 12 cupcake cups with the foil liners and set aside.

2. Place the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and melted butter in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Spoon about 1 T. of the mixture into each liner, pressing down on the mixture with your fingers to make the crust.

3. Reserve 12 raspberries for garnish. Place the remaining raspberries in a food processor and pulse the berries until pureed, 10 seconds. Measure out 1/2 cup for the filling and set aside. Place the remaining puree in a sieve over a small glass bowl to catch the raspberry juices. Push down gently on the puree to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. Cover the raspberry juice with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

4. Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese until creamy, 30 seconds. Turn off the machine and add the sweetened condensed milk and the reserved 1/2 c. pureed raspberries. With the mixer on medium speed, blend until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds. Stop the mixer, add 1 c. of the whipped topping, and blend on low speed to combine, 15 seconds.

5. Top the crusts with the berry mixture, dividing it evenly among them. The liners should be very full but not overflowing. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until firm, at least 3 hours.

6. Remove the pan from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. To serve, peel away the foil liners from the cakes and place the cakes on serving plates. Dollop with 1 heaping tablespoon of the remaining whipped topping. Drizzle with the reserved raspberry juice and garnish with a reserved raspberry.

*It took me more than 1 c. of berries to make enough juice, but I found that these were just as excellent with just a dollop of whipped cream on top.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

This recipe comes from Kraft foods. They have a very useful website chock full of tasty recipes that are simple, quick and made with ingredients you are very familiar with. It is worth checking out ~ they have a virtual recipe box where you can store and organize the ones you like. You can also print out a shopping list for your next trip to the market. If you sign up, they will send handy tips and meal ideas right to your inbox. I really find this site to be the perfect place to go when I am short on time but need to make something that is delicious, such as these White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake bars. I made them to take to work for a co-worker’s birthday and they were a hit. If you are intimidated by the thought of baking a cheesecake, don’t be. You really cannot mess this one up, I swear:

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

12 Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (i.e. Oreos), finely crushed

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

3 squares White Chocolate, divided

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 cup red raspberry preserves

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 8- or 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares as directed on package.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Yield: 9 servings