Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Makes: 12–16 bars
Pan: 8 × 8-inch / 20 × 20 cm or similar rectangular container
Prep: 30 minutes
Chilling: 6 hours or overnight
Baking: 10 minutes for the base

Ingredients
1. Biscuit base
250 g digestive biscuits or Marie biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional: 30 g finely ground almonds can be added for a nuttier base, but they are not necessary.

2. Raspberry swirl
200 g fresh or frozen raspberries
50 g granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch + 1 tbsp water
The small amount of lemon helps balance the sweetness and makes the raspberry flavor more pronounced.

3. Cheesecake filling
500 g full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
250 ml whipping/heavy cream, cold
120 g icing/powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
10 g powdered gelatin
50 ml cold water
100 g fresh raspberries
For a sweeter, condensed-milk version, you can replace about 80–100 g of the icing sugar with 100 g sweetened condensed milk. Condensed milk is commonly used with cream cheese in raspberry cheesecakes.
N
Nestle Desserts Arabia
+1

FULL METHOD
Step 1 — Prepare the pan
Line a 20 × 20 cm / 8 × 8 inch pan with parchment paper.

Leave some parchment hanging over the sides. This makes it much easier to lift the finished cheesecake out.

Step 2 — Make the biscuit base
Crush the digestive biscuits very finely.

You can use:

food processor, or
a rolling pin and zip-lock bag.
Add:

melted butter
sugar
salt
vanilla
Mix until the crumbs resemble wet sand.

Test
Squeeze some mixture in your hand.

If it holds together, it’s ready.

If it is very dry and falls apart, add another 10–15 g melted butter.

Step 3 — Press into the pan
Pour the mixture into the lined pan.

Press it down firmly using:

the bottom of a glass,
measuring cup, or
flat spatula.
Make the layer as even as possible.

For the photo-style dessert
Keep the base around 8–12 mm thick.

Step 4 — Bake the base
Bake at:

175°C / 350°F for 8–10 minutes.

Don’t brown it heavily.

Remove and allow it to cool completely.

For a completely no-bake version, simply chill the biscuit base for 30 minutes instead.

Step 5 — Make the raspberry swirl
Put into a saucepan:

200 g raspberries
50 g sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
Cook over medium heat for approximately 5–7 minutes.

Mash the berries as they soften.

Mix:

1 tsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water

and add this slurry to the raspberries.

Cook another 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly.

The mixture should become slightly thick.

Optional — smoother raspberry sauce
Pass it through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

This gives you a very smooth pink/red swirl.

If you want the dessert to look exactly like the photograph, I’d actually keep some of the raspberry pulp and seeds.

Set aside to cool completely.

Step 6 — Prepare the gelatin
Put:

10 g powdered gelatin + 50 ml cold water

into a small bowl.

Mix and leave for approximately 5–10 minutes.

It will become thick and sponge-like.

Warm it gently until completely dissolved.

Do not boil gelatin.

Allow it to cool slightly.

Step 7 — Make the cheesecake filling
Beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth.

Add:

icing sugar
vanilla
lemon juice
lemon zest
Beat until creamy.

Don’t overbeat unnecessarily.

Step 8 — Whip the cream
In a separate cold bowl, whip:

250 ml cold heavy/whipping cream

until you have medium-stiff peaks.

Don’t turn it into butter.

Step 9 — Combine
Slowly add the cooled gelatin to the cream-cheese mixture while mixing.

Then gently fold in the whipped cream.

The finished mixture should be:

thick + smooth + creamy + spreadable.

Finally, gently fold in approximately:

100 g fresh raspberries

leaving some whole.

Step 10 — Assemble
Spread approximately ⅔ of the cheesecake mixture over your cooled biscuit base.

Smooth it with a spatula.

Now add small spoonfuls of raspberry sauce across the surface.

Add the remaining cheesecake mixture.

Then add more raspberry sauce.

Step 11 — Make the swirl
Take a skewer, chopstick or thin knife.

Insert it only slightly into the cheesecake layer.

Move it through the raspberry sauce in:

S shapes
circles
gentle waves
Don’t over-swirl.

Important
5–10 deliberate swirls look much prettier than constantly stirring it.

You want visible raspberry ribbons like the photograph.

Step 12 — Add raspberry pieces
Scatter:

fresh raspberries, or
small pieces of raspberries
over the top.

Gently press some pieces halfway into the cheesecake.

This produces the red raspberry pockets visible in your photo.

Step 13 — Chill
Cover the pan.

Refrigerate for at least:

6 hours

but preferably:

Overnight
The cheesecake will become much firmer and easier to cut.

Step 14 — Cut
Remove from the refrigerator.

Lift it out using the parchment.

For clean pieces:

Use a large sharp knife.
Dip the knife in hot water.
Wipe it dry.
Cut.
Repeat for every cut.
You’ll get much cleaner cheesecake bars.

What the finished dessert should be like
You should have:

Bottom:
Buttery crunchy biscuit laye

Middle:
Thick, creamy vanilla cheesecak

Iide/top:
Fresh raspberry piece

Top:
Raspberry-red/pink swirls

This is similar in concept to published raspberry cheesecakes that combine a biscuit base, cream cheese and raspberry mixture, including no-bake versions using condensed milk.
N
Nestle Desserts Arabia
+1

Easy measurements if you don’t have a scale
Base
2½ cups crushed biscuits
7 tbsp melted butter
Filling
2 cups cream cheese
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup raspberries
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice
10 g gelatin
Raspberry sauce
1½ cups raspberries
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
NUT / ALLERGEN INFORMATION
If by “nut info” you mean allergy information:

Naturally nut-free version
The recipe is nut-free if you use nut-free biscuits and ingredients.

However, check the packaging because biscuits, chocolate, cream cheese and other processed ingredients can carry “may contain nuts” warnings.

Common allergens
Ingredient Possible allergen
Digestive/Marie biscuits Wheat/gluten, sometimes milk
Butter Milk
Cream cheese Milk
Whipping cream Milk
Gelatin Usually animal-derived; not a dairy allergen
Raspberries Generally not a major allergen
Almonds Tree nut — only if you add them

If making this for someone with a severe allergy, use products specifically labelled as suitable for that allergy and check cross-contact warnings.

Approximate nutrition
For 16 pieces, using the recipe above and without optional almonds:

Nutrient Approx. per piece
Calories ~300 kcal
Carbohydrates ~30 g
Fat ~18 g
Protein ~5 g
Sugar ~19–22 g

These are estimates, because the actual numbers vary considerably with the biscuits, cream cheese, cream and sugar brands.

Q&A
Can I make it without gelatin?
Yes. Use a vegetarian setting agent such as agar-agar, but it behaves differently from gelatin and needs to be heated according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Can I use frozen raspberries?
Yes. They’re excellent for the raspberry sauce.

For the cheesecake itself, fresh raspberries give a better appearance. If using frozen berries inside, thaw and drain them first so excess water doesn’t loosen the filling.

Can I use strawberries instead?
Yes. Substitute raspberries with strawberries, although strawberries contain more water, so the fruit sauce may need slightly longer cooking.

Can I use condensed milk?
Yes. For a richer, sweeter version, use approximately 100 g sweetened condensed milk and reduce the powdered sugar substantially.

Why is my cheesecake too soft?
Usually one of these:

insufficient chilling
cream wasn’t whipped enough
too much liquid from fruit
gelatin wasn’t properly dissolved
low-fat cream cheese was used
Full-fat cream cheese is preferable for this style.

Why did my raspberry swirl disappear?
The cheesecake mixture was probably too soft or you swirled too deeply.

Put raspberry sauce on top in small dots and swirl only the upper portion.

Can I freeze it?
Yes. Freeze it uncovered until firm, then wrap tightly.

It can generally be kept frozen for around 1 month for best quality.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Can I make it the day before?
Yes — and that’s actually recommended.

Overnight chilling gives the cheesecake much better structure and makes cutting easier.

How long does it last in the refrigerator?
Keep it covered and refrigerated and ideally consume within 3–4 days.

Does it need baking?
Only the biscuit base needs baking in this version. The cheesecake filling itself is no-bake.

If you want, you can also make the fully baked version. A baked raspberry cheesecake typically uses cream cheese, condensed milk, eggs and raspberries and is baked until set.
C
Carnation

For the closest look to your photo
I would use:

Digestive base + vanilla cream-cheese filling + whole raspberry pieces + thick raspberry coulis + gentle marbling + overnight refrigeration.

And don’t completely puree the raspberries—leaving little raspberry pieces is what will give you those beautiful dark-red patches throughout the white cheesecake.

Author
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Sara Mitchell

Sara Mitchell is an expert restaurant content creator who writes easy-to-read guides about CAVA and other Mediterranean fast-casual chains in the United States. She covers locations, menus, prices, and hours, making it simple for visitors to find nearby restaurants and what to order quickly.

With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.