Raspberry and Rosewater Cheesecake

I bookmarked this cheesecake a long time ago, before I even knew there would be lactose-free cream cheese on the market one day. I originally saw it on Design Sponge, but the recipe is by Christelle Tanielian (so those of you who speak French can get her French version here). I rewrote a bit of the instructions to be clearer.

The crust is made with biscuits roses de Reims (affiliate link), which gives it a beautiful pink hue! That being said, I think that 250 grams was a bit too much, and considering that each package contains 100 grams, I’d just use 200 grams next time – the crust would then be thinner than on the pictures, and I think that’s fine. They contain eggs and wheat as well as possible traces of soy and tree nuts, so I’ve adjusted the tags accordingly. If you want a substitute, the closest you would come in taste and texture, in my opinion, is ladyfingers, though you’d miss out on the pink hue. You could also use Nilla wafers, Speculoos, or graham crackers.


I loved both the look and flavors of this cheesecake! However, the Engineer didn’t like the cheesecake base, even though he really enjoyed this one. I think it’s because this cheesecake doesn’t contain any sour cream, so the base tends to be sort of a one-tone thing, but that creates a better backdrop for the other flavors, so it’s a trade-off.

The top of the cake was so glossy that I didn’t realize it reflected other objects at the angle at which I took the pictures, so please ignore the yellow spot on its upper left surface in the penultimate picture. That is all.

For the crust
200 g. biscuits roses de Reims (see note above)
90 g. (3 oz. or 6 Tbsp.) butter or margarine, melted (coconut oil would work, too)

For the filling
750 g. (three 8-oz. packs) lactose-free cream cheese, at room temperature
150 g. (¾ cup) granulated sugar
3 eggs
2-3 Tbsp. rosewater (to taste; I used 3 Tbsp.)

For the raspberry topping
100 g. (½ cup) granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch
½ cup water
185 g. (1 ½ cup) frozen raspberries
1-2 Tbsp. rosewater (to taste; I used 2 Tbsp.)

For the crust
Finely grind the biscuits roses de Reims and mix in well with the butter (I did this in the food processor). Grease an 8-inch (22 cm) springform pan and press the cookie mixture evenly into the pan using the bottom of a glass or spoon (and up the sides if you wish, as well). Put aside in the freezer.

For the filling
Preheat the oven at 300 °F. Fill a pan with water and place it on the lowest rack of the oven (this will help keep the cheesecake moist as it bakes).

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then add rosewater while beating on low speed until the texture is creamy.

Place the springform pan with the crust on a baking sheet (to prevent making a mess if it drips) and pour the filling evenly into the crust. Place the baking sheet with the cheesecake in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Once the oven has been turned off, let the cake cool inside the oven and leave the door closed. Once it is completely cooled, put it in the refrigerator overnight.

For the raspberry topping
Place the sugar and corn starch in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add water and stir well.

Add the frozen raspberries and crush them using a wooden spoon. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir continually for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in rosewater, and allow to cool completely. I strained the mixture to remove the seeds, but this is not absolutely necessary.

Remove cake from the pan and transfer to a plate. Spread the topping over the chilled cheesecake and decorate with fresh raspberries if you have them. Refrigerate for an hour and serve.