Olive Garden Copycat White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Make Olive Garden’s white chocolate raspberry cheesecake at home. Who doesn’t love a decadent homemade dessert with a raspberry swirl and Oreo cookie crust?

I’ve had a thing for Olive Garden’s white chocolate raspberry cheesecake since way back when I was in college. There’s something about the Oreo cookie crust, the raspberry swirl cheesecake, and the white chocolate candy flakes that make this dessert simply heavenly.

Now even though it seems to be available at Cheesecake Factory, we can’t get this cheesecake at Olive Garden anymore. Never fear, though, because we all know that homemade is better anyway.

And especially in this case, homemade is way better. You’re going to absolutely love this cheesecake from the first bite.

Who’s up for their favorite raspberry cheesecake? (Raises hand enthusiastically)

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPE?

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious cheesecake recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

HOW TO MAKE WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

Once you have a chocolate cookie crust (or you can make a graham cracker crust if you prefer) and raspberry sauce, it’s pretty much smooth sailing from here.

While cheesecake can be temperamental, I’m hoping this post will help answer any questions you might have about the process of making it.

WHAT KIND OF CREAM CHEESE SHOULD I USE?

While you can use a lower fat cream cheese, I’ve had the best luck with full fat cream cheese. Also, full fat cream cheese doesn’t necessarily have all the additives they add in when they remove things from the cheese to make it “lite.”

We want a creamy cheesecake batter, so always go for full fat.

When it comes to brands, I’ve had great success with brands like Philadelphia, Great Value, and Aldi’s Happy Farms.

TIPS FOR MAKING RASPBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Mixing, assembling, and swirling the cheesecake takes a few steps.

1. Using a mixer, mix together the softened cream cheese, pure cane sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
2. Using an egg separator, separate the egg yolks from the whites, and add the yolks into the mixture, mixing well.
3. When your batter is creamy and smooth, pour half the batter into your crust. Spoon about 1/3 cup raspberry sauce on top of the batter, adding small dollops of sauce here and there. Swirl the sauce into the batter with a table knife. Then pour the rest of the batter on.
4. Add another 1/3 cup raspberry sauce, adding small dollops of sauce here and there all around the top of the batter. Again, swirl the sauce into the batter with a table knife.

USING THE WATER BATH METHOD WHILE BAKING

The Kitchn has an excellent tutorial with tons of super helpful tips for how to make the perfect cheesecake. In fact, that’s where I learned about the water bath method for making a cheesecake even more creamy.

Before you go to bake your cheesecake, wrap the outside of the pan with a good layer of aluminum foil, maybe even a couple layers, to keep water from getting to your cheesecake.

Then place the pan down in a roasting pan with at least an inch of water in it. I use a turkey roasting pan.

This provides a steam bath environment for your cheesecake as it bakes and keeps it very moist.

Bake, cool, and chill according to the recipe card instructions below.

WHAT CAUSES CHEESECAKE TO CRACK, AND HOW CAN I PREVENT THAT?

So this is a problem with any kind of cheesecake and some kinds of pies, like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, etc.

The water bath method, described above, will help with this, as it will keep the cheesecake from drying out. Because essentially, that’s what causes it to crack.

It dries out, which can also happen when it’s baked too long and sometimes even when it’s cooled too quickly.

That said, when cheesecake is done, it should be set around the edge but still a little jiggly in the middle.

ADDING THE FINISHING TOUCHES

When your cheesecake has completely cooled and chilled, you can add shreds of white chocolate.

It’s easiest to shred the white chocolate with a vegetable peeler. Then sprinkle it all over the top of the cheesecake.

Then you can either swirl whipped cream on with the can, or make homemade whipped cream and use a decorating bag and large tip (I used Tip 1M) to swirl it on.

Ok, so I know this cheesecake is a more complicated dessert to make. But isn’t it worth it to have your favorite dessert, made in your very own kitchen?

This recipe really isn’t that difficult either. It requires a few extra steps and it requires a little patience, but all in all, it’s a pretty simple recipe. If I can make it, you can too.

CAN CHEESECAKE BE FROZEN?

As long as you use full fat cream cheese, cheesecake should freeze well.

Cool the cheesecake first. Then chill it.

Once it’s chilled, you can wrap it up with a layer or two of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil.

According to Eat By Date, cheesecake shelf life is up to 6 to 8 months in the freezer.

SHOP KITCHEN TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE:

9″ Springform Pan – This kind of pan is necessary for cheesecake, so you can easily remove the sides of the pan when serving.

Aluminum Foil – To prevent water from getting into your cheesecake while baking, you can wrap the outside of your pan with foil.

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – This will ensure you have a smooth cheesecake batter.

Egg Separator – Easily separate the yolks from the egg whites.

Roasting Pan – Add about an inch or so of water in the roasting pan; then place the springform pan inside the roasting pan for baking.

Vegetable Peeler or Chocolate Shaver – for creating curls of chocolate for the top of the cheesecake.

Decorating Bag or Cupcake Decorating Set – You can decoratively add the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake with this.

OLIVE GARDEN WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate cookie crust
• 32 ounces cream cheese
• 3/4 cup pure cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup raspberry sauce
• 4 ounces white chocolate
• 2 cups whipped cream

Instructions

1. First things first, make your chocolate cookie crust in a 9″ springform pan(sprayed with cooking spray). You’ll want it ready to go after the cheesecake batter is all mixed up.
2. Line the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil; this will keep water from getting into your cheesecake during baking.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 325°.
4. Using a mixer, mix together the softened cream cheese, pure cane sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
5. Using an egg separator, separate the egg yolks from the whites, and add the yolks into the mixture, mixing well.
6. When your batter is creamy and smooth, pour half the batter into your crust. 
7. Spoon about 1/3 cup raspberry sauce on top of the batter, adding small dollops of sauce here and there. 
8. Swirl the sauce into the batter with a table knife.
9. Pour the rest of the batter on, and add another 1/3 cup raspberry sauce, adding small dollops of sauce here and there all around the top of the batter.
10. Again, swirl the sauce into the batter with a table knife.
11. Place the cheesecake-filled springform pan in a roasting pan that has an inch or so of water in the bottom.
12. Place the whole pan into the oven, and bake at 325° for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the cheesecake is cooked through.*
13. Leave the cheesecake in the oven, and turn the oven off. Allow it to cool in the oven, with the oven door open, for about 30 to 45 minutes. You want a slow cooling process, in order to avoid cracks. 
14. Now you can remove your cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
15. Once your cheesecake has completely cooled at room temperature, cover and place it in the refrigerator, and allow it to chill overnight. 
16. Next day, your cheesecake is ready to decorate, with white chocolate and a small batch of whipped cream.
17. Shave or curl the white chocolate with a vegetable peeler or chocolate shaver until you have enough chocolate to cover the top of your cheesecake.
18. Sprinkle the chocolate over the entire top of the cheesecake.
19. Add small swirls of whipped cream all around the edge of the cheesecake. 
20. Finally, slice the cheesecake up and serve! 

Notes

*The cheesecake should be firm around the edge and a little jiggly in the middle when it’s done.