Smooth and creamy, this raspberry swirl cheesecake comes together simply thanks to the electric pressure cooker (i.e. Instant Pot). The smoothest, creamiest cheesecake you have ever tasted, infused with a beautiful raspberry swirl topping atop a perfect graham cracker crust.
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Hi friends.
I’m super excited to be here to share this raspberry swirl cheesecake with you.
This cheesecake. I still remember the first time I ate it.
The memory will be forever etched into my memory because it was life-changing.
Humor me for a minute and I’ll take you back with me through raspberry-swirl-cheesecake memory lane.
When we first met…
It was Thanksgiving Day and my niece Jadee had made two of these cheesecakes.
They looked so good. Absolutely stunning, in fact.
Swirling designs of raspberry sauce on top of smooth, creamy cheesecake with a perfect golden brown graham cracker crust.
Be still my heart.
But nothing could quite prepare me for the taste.
It was definitely love at first bite.
Creamy, melt-in-your mouth cheesecake with a luscious, decadent, almost out-of-this-world-like flavor.
The creaminess. That’s what got me.
So so good.
It disappeared fast. And we all fought over the last piece. I don’t remember who won for sure (probably my oldest son, who is bigger than me, and a cheesecake eating machine).
But I know I fought hard. And I’ve been dreaming about this cheesecake ever since.
I asked my niece for the recipe and she sent me this link for Martha Stewart’s recipe that she used.
I tried the recipe several times. I wanted it to work out so bad. But I never got it quite right. It’s super easy to leave cheesecake in the oven too long because it looks like it’s not done when it really is done.
You gotta look for the perfect cheesecake jiggle, my friends.
But that’s where the electric pressure (i.e. Instant Pot) comes into the story.
The Electric Pressure Cooker saves the day…
So about a month ago my sister texted me with a picture of this amazing looking cheesecake she made for Father’s day in her electric pressure cooker.
And I started turning green with envy.
It looked so good.
You see, I had bought a 7-inch springform pan (aff. link) quite a while ago so I could make cheesecake in my Instant Pot (aff. link). But I still hadn’t tried it yet.
I was too busy perfecting big fat chocolate chip cookies, I guess.
Well that picture she sent pushed me over the edge.
I got right to work. I cut down the raspberry swirl cheesecake recipe from Martha so it would work in a 7-inch springform pan.
I adapted the crust a little (and made more of it because I like a high crust ratio going on). Oh and by the way this handy little tart tamper (aff. link) is amazing for pressing down the crust.
After I made it the first time, it only took one bite to know that I had nailed it.
All my raspberry swirl cheesecake dreams had come true.
The texture is perfect.
And it is easy!
So much simpler than cooking the cheesecake in the oven using the water bath method.
Just add a little water and put the cheesecake pan on top of the trivet. No need to cover the cheesecake.
Then lock the lid in place and cook.
Make sure the keep warm function is turned off.
When the timer is up release the pressure naturally the entire time. That will help it look prettier. We don’t want cracking or lots of steamy water on top.
Don’t be worried if there is a little water on top when you open the lid, it will soak in during the chilling process. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think you could cover the pan with foil before cooking, which may help to avoid the water on top altogether. I would probably spray the foil first with nonstick spray.
A few things to note about the recipe…
First, make sure you plan ahead. The cream cheese and eggs need to be at room temperature. Make sure to pull those blocks of cream cheese out of the refrigerator in plenty of time to ensure they are super soft. I’ve tried fast tracking the method by softening in the microwave and the creaminess is just not the same.
Second, have you ever used a foil sling? You might recognize it from these amazing Instant Pot fudge brownies. They are quick and easy to whip together and make getting the springform pan in and out of the pressure cooker a breeze.
Third, make sure your sealing ring is smell-free. If you just got done making this white chicken chili, for example, sometimes the smells on the sealing ring carry over to the next thing you are making. And I’m pretty sure those flavors would not taste good in cheesecake.
To help remove the smells, I normally soak the sealing ring in a shallow pan of pure white vinegar overnight. It seems to work well. But I know some people buy separate sealing rings (like this one on Amazon, aff. link) for making cheesecake and that works too.
Lastly, less is better when swirling the raspberry sauce. If you get too excited about trying to make it look amazing, it actually turns everything pink (rather than the nice red and white contrast that is so stunning). So just do a quick little whoop-de-doo with your skewer and call it good.
For even more contrast, sometimes I like to add a middle layer by adding half of the cheesecake filling and then swirl in half of the raspberry sauce. Then add the rest of the cheesecake filling with the raspberry sauce swirl on top.
The only problem with the recipe…
The ONLY potential problem with this recipe is that it only makes a 7-inch cheesecake.
Every time I make it, I wish it were bigger. But the size of pan you can use is limited by what will fit inside the electric pressure cooker. And that’s probably a good thing actually.
Otherwise I am sure I would eat WAAAY too much. And I already do eat WAAAY too much. Haha.
And I’m not the only one.
My bigger-than-me son came by while I was posting this recipe (you know the one that’s a cheesecake eating machine?). He saw what I was posting and asked if I was making one of these today.
I didn’t tell him this, but I think I need to. And then be sure to hide it from him.
You see, not much has changed since the first time we tasted it.
We still fight for the last piece.
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}
The smoothest, creamiest cheesecake you have ever tasted, infused with a beautiful raspberry swirl topping atop a perfect graham cracker crust.
Ingredients
For Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) graham cracker crumbs about 9-10 sheets crushed
- 5 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
For Raspberry Sauce:
- 3 ounces (¾ cup) fresh raspberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For Cheesecake:
- 1 pound (2 8-ounce packages) cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
Instructions
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Generously butter the inside of a 7-inch round springform pan. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl (or pulse a few times in a food processor), then pour into the prepared pan. Press mixture evenly across the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pan to make a crust.
-
Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl; discard solids. Whisk in 1 tablespoons sugar, and set aside.
-
Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a heavy duty hand mixer); mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add ¾ cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add salt and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix). Pour cream cheese filling over crust (see note).
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Drop raspberry sauce by the teaspoon on top. With a wooden skewer or toothpick, swirl sauce into filling.
-
Pour 1 cup water into a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Set trivet on the bottom of cooker. Make a foil sling by folding a two to three foot piece of aluminum foil into thirds lengthwise. Set the springform pan (uncovered) on the foil sling and use it to lower the pan into the pot. Fold down the ends of the sling carefully so they don't touch the batter in the pan.
-
Lock the lid in place and select pressure cook (Manual) and cook on HIGH pressure for 27 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
-
When the time is up, turn off the pressure cooker and let the pressure release naturally all the way (about 20-25 minutes). Unlock the lid and carefully open the cooker. Use the sling to transform the hot springform pan to a wire rack. Cheesecake should be set but still slightly wobbly in the center. Cool for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and then refrigerate at least 1 more hour or up to 2 days.
-
When ready to serve, uncover and run a thin knife between the pan and the cake. Unlatch the sides of the pan to remove cake inside. Slice and serve, garnished with fresh raspberries, if desired.
Recipe Notes
1. Make sure you plan ahead. The cream cheese and eggs need to be at room temperature. Make sure to pull those blocks out of the refrigerator in plenty of time to ensure they are super soft. I’ve tried fast tracking the method by softening in the microwave and it’s just not the same.
2. Less is better when swirling the raspberry sauce. If you get too excited about trying to make it look amazing, it actually turns everything pink (rather than the nice red and white contrast that is so stunning). So just do a quick little whoop-de-doo with your skewer and call it good. For even more contrast, sometimes I like to add a middle layer by adding half of the cheesecake filling and then swirl in half of the raspberry sauce. Then add the rest of the cheesecake filling with the raspberry sauce swirl on top.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, from Martha Stewart, adapted for the electric pressure cooker
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
