Vancouver Cheesecake

Instructions

Heat the oven to 160°C. Beat the cream cheese and ricotta together until completely smooth, since any lumps will stay in the finished cake. Keep beating while you add the white sugar, then the eggs.

Beat in the whipping cream slowly, then add the lemon juice. If using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise with a sharp knife, open it and scrape out the seeds with the knife or a spatula, then fold them into the batter. Vanilla extract can be folded in instead.

Pour the batter into a large baking pan or several loaf pans. Bake for about 45 minutes, a little less in loaf pans. The cake is done when the centre is still jelly-like.

Let the cake cool, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours.

For the sauce, purée the raspberries and strain them through cheesecloth into a saucepan. Add the water and set the pan over medium heat, stirring now and then.

When the mixture is warm, stir in the brown sugar and rum and raise the heat to high, stirring more often. Once it boils, lower the heat to low-medium and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Take it off the heat and let it cool.

Slice the chilled cheesecake, scatter fresh raspberries over each slice and drizzle with the sauce.