Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies: Sweet raspberry-swirled cheesecake layered over a ridiculously decadent fudge brownie.
My parents’ property is a berry paradise. There’s a mulberry tree that you can’t get within 15 feet of without staining your feet purple. Teeny tiny strawberries grow in the dappled shade (I’ve never tried them because I’m a little suspicious that they’re actually some sort of miniature poison-variety strawberry), and their woods are bursting at the seams with prickly brambles dotted with plump blackberries and raspberries.
When I was a kid I tried to like the raspberries. My sister and I would harvest them until our fingers were permanently pink, hoarding them in baskets alongside honeysuckle and a purple-topped aquarium full of pet caterpillars in the corner of our spaceship (AKA swingset) in preparation for our journey to the next galaxy. However, when we dug into our rations I couldn’t get past the tiny, insufferable seeds, and the berries mostly rotted or were thrown out the window (what’s a good spaceship without missiles, anyway?).
When I go to buy raspberries now, I always feel a pang of guilt in my stomach thinking back to how many dollars worth of berries were ungratefully chucked out of our swingset fort. All because of a few seeds. Seeds that I actually like now.
The things you take for granted as a child.
With respect to those of you who share my childhood-self’s disdain for seeds but still appreciate the flavor of raspberry, I strained the seeds out of this raspberry sauce (and with respect to those of you who don’t want to spend your life’s savings on berries, this recipe only calls for one small carton).
Besides, we have enough textures, flavors, and overall busy-ness going on that I felt the extra crunch of seeds would take away from the bars. The raspberry not only looks absolutely gorgeous swirled on top, it adds the tart accent of ripe red fruit to the other two sweet layers.
For the brownie, I went straight to my all time favorite (I don’t call it the “best ever” for nothing) brownie recipe. If you’re in a pinch or have a boxed brownie mix sitting in your pantry you can use that, just follow the instructions below, substituting one brownie batter for another.
The cheesecake is basic, easy, and classic, and I’ve used this base recipe over and over again on my site. It takes literally minutes to mix together, and bakes up perfectly every time.
Enjoy (and don’t take your raspberries for granted)!
More Recipes to Try:
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
- 6 oz raspberries
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp water
Cheesecake
- 32 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Raspberry Sauce
- Prepare the raspberry sauce first so that it has time to cool before swirling over cheesecake.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine raspberries, sugar, and water.6 oz raspberries, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp water
- Increase heat to medium-high and stir frequently, about 8-10 minutes (until raspberries have released their juices and the mixture has reduced some).
- Remove from heat and press mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl. Set aside and allow to cool (discard leftover seeds and fruit pieces).
Brownie Layer
- Preheat oven to 325F
- Prepare brownie batter according to Best Ever Brownies instructions (or package instructions, if using box-mix).One batch Best Ever Brownies batter -- instant coffee omitted*
- Spread evenly into the bottom of a greased and floured 9x13 pan (alternatively, line the pan with foil and then lightly spray with cooking spray -- this will make it easy to lift the brownie/cheesecake out of the pan and make clean cuts once its cooled).
- Bake on 325F for 20 minutes, or until center is almost set (it should not still be liquid, and the edges will appear somewhat cooked).
- As the brownie layer bakes, prepare your cheesecake.
Cheesecake
- In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand-mixer), beat together softened cream cheese and sugar, scraping down the sides with a spatula occasionally to ensure it is mixed well. (beat on medium-speed about 1-2 minutes, scraping down side occasionally, it should be creamy and well-mixed).32 oz cream cheese, 1 cup sugar
- Add sour cream, mix well, stopping once to scrape down the sides before mixing again.½ cup sour cream
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just mixed after each addition (and scraping down the sides after each addition)3 eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 tsp vanilla extract
- Once brownie layer has finished baking (do not turn off your oven), evenly spread the cheesecake over the brownie layer.
- Take your raspberry sauce and use a spoon to place large droplets (about the size of a dime to the size of a nickel) all over the top of the cheesecake layer.
- Use the point of a toothpick to swirl the raspberry across the top of the cheesecake.
- Bake on 325F for 40 minutes, or until center is set (not liquidy, bounces back to the touch).
- Allow to cool to room temperature, and then place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Linda
I wanted to post my pictures…but there isn’t anyway to post them!
Sam
Hi Linda! If you have an Instagram account you can tag me @Sugarspun_Sam. I would love to see them! 🙂
Joanna
I just tried the recipe and it is delicious! I’m having a hard time cutting it into even pieces without messing it up. What am I doing wrong? I’m afraid the cheesecake layer may be slightly underdone. It has a creamy texture more than solid although it looks solid.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Joanna! Make sure you use a sharp, non-serrated knife and slice straight down into the brownies. Do not saw into them. You can also clean your knife between cuts–this helps tremendously!
Diane Freiburger
Hello. I am planning to make this recipe for the first time this week and want to confirm the pan size for the brownie layer. The brownie recipe itself calls for a 9×9 pan, but here you indicate a 9×13 pan. Is the larger pan/thinner brownie required to accommodate the cheesecake layer? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Diane! The brownie layer here is slightly thinner than the regular brownies so you spread the brownie recipe into a 9 x 13. This is so you have a nice balance of cheesecake and brownie. 🙂
Rachel
My boyfriend loves cheesecake and I wanted to make him a different kind than plain cheesecake for Valentine’s. This was delicious and pretty easy to make! It turned out beautiful with the marbling and the flavor was decadent. Thanks for your wonderful recipes <3 all the ones I’ve tried have been great
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Rachel! That’s a wonderful treat for Valentine’s day. 🙂
Lily
Simple instructions,I did mess up a few times but that’s on me. It turned out pretty good!
Sam
I’m so glad you still enjoyed them, Lily! 🙂
Lisa Burgess
I made your cheesecake recipe and didn’t let the cream cheese get to room temp. It made it yucky for sure. But I’m trying it again with room-temp ingredients. It looks so much better. I’ll let you know but wanted to make sure your bakers follow this instruction. 🙂
Sam
I hope it goes better this time, Lisa! 🙂
Erica
So glad I found this recipe and I needed something different for Valentine’s Day 😍
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you came across my recipe too, Erica! I hope that your valentine enjoys the raspberry cheesecake brownies! 🙂
Daphne Bowyer
Thank you for this recipe as it is my all time favourite and today made it again for the 3rd time… I love it all.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how you like it! That means a lot to me!
Bree
OMG, your cheesecake recipe is perfect ! Love these : ))
Sam
Thank you so much! 🙂
Michael
Wonder if it would be possible to add peanut butter to the cheesecake mixture and make this into a kind of peanut butter and jelly brownie… Love your blog and always enjoy seeing your posts on imgur.
Sam
Hi Michael! I think you might have just given me a great idea for a future post! Yes, I think you could do this… I would suggest adding about 3/4-1 cup of peanut butter to the batter (I’d add it right in when you combine the cream cheese and sugar). I hope you love it, and I’m glad you enjoy the blog and the imgur posts 🙂
Amanda
Great story! That really sends me back. We had a raspberry bush in the backyard by the river when I was a kid. But it was just a small one, so we always fought the blackbirds to get any. ? This looks so pretty and decadent too! A perfect summer brownie.
Mikaru86
This strongly reminds me of your Brownie Bottom Strawberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake (https://sugarspunrun.com/brownie-bottom-strawberry-white-chocolate-cheesecake/ for anyone who wants to check those out), the first recipe of yours that I ever tried (and kind of what got me back into baking). So I definetely have to try this out :3
Sam
Yes it’s very similar! Only no white chocolate and I’ve developed the perfect brownie recipe since then 🙂
If you do try it I definitely want to know how you like it! 🙂
Linda
I used my own brownie recipe and topped it with the cheesecake mixture! I baked them for 25 minutes Iused 2 heart shaped pans! As you can see they came out beautiful!! thanks for sharing!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Linda! 🙂