chilled raspberry cheesecake

As you may have noticed, I don’t think a dessert is a dessert unless it has chocolate in it.
Raspberries + chocolate = one of my favorite combinations.

Ingredients:
1  1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (45 wafers, crushed up)
1/3 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
10 ounces of raspberries
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
raspberries for garnish

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, cocoa, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually pour in the melted butter while stirring. Press the mixture onto the bottom and slightly up the side of a  9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, and let it cool completely.

Stir the raspberries until they form almost a puree. My raspberries were a little wet after washing them, so they fell apart easily when I stirred them. Set them aside.

Fill a small bowl with the 1/2 cup of cold water. Sprinkle the envelope of gelatin over the water, and let it stand for 3-5 minutes to soften. Add the 1/2 cup of boiling water, and stir until the gelatin dissolves, and the mixture is clear.

Beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until it is smooth. Gradually add in the raspberries and the gelatin, mixing thoroughly. Pour into the baked crust.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight. (I cut into it after 4 hours, and it had solidified). Loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan with a knife, and then remove the side of the springform pan.

For the chocolate whipped cream layer, stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa in a medium bowl. Pour in 1 cup of cold whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat for a couple minutes until it is stiff. Then spread the whipped cream over the top of the cheesecake. Garnish with extra raspberries.

It is really delicious! The crust tastes like a chocolate cookie, I love the fruity and creamy taste of the raspberry, and the chocolate whipped cream—I could eat it by the spoonful. Please let me know if you have any questions about it!