Life-changing.
The words used to describe a cheesecake from my favorite restaurant in Athens, Georgia.
For those of you that don’t know, I am a proud alumna of the University of Georgia located in Athens. I spent some of the best years of my life there. Life made that much better because my sister, Jenny, soon followed me to UGA. Jenny and I are two years apart and seriously the best of friends. We’re those weird sisters that never fight and never get tired of each other. I don’t know what I’d do without her! (Love you, Jenny!)
On Jenny’s first birthday at UGA, I took her to Last Resort Grill for dinner. Man, I love that place. Their salmon & grits are amaaaazing! Anyways, once it came time for dessert, we decided to order one thing to share. We asked the waiter for a recommendation because we are an extremely indecisive duo. He said, “Get the White Chocolate Cheesecake. It’s life-changing.” I have to admit, Jenny and I were a little skeptical of this bold statement, but we ordered it to find out.
One bite. Life changed. Dude totally knew what he was talking about.
Going to Last Resort for our birthdays became a tradition and we always got that dang cheesecake.
Now, I’m here in LA and Jenny is out in Colorado, an officer in the Army. Life has taken us in different directions but we’re still as close as ever and we still dream about Last Resort’s White Chocolate Cheesecake.
Two weekends ago, I went to visit Jenny for a weekend. Since it was a midpoint between our birthdays, we planned to recreate our beloved cheesecake to celebrate. We had a great time in the kitchen & it was torture waiting for the cheesecake to chill & set.
Then came the moment of truth. First bites. Looks. Smiles. Even better than we remembered!
Please make this cheesecake and share it with your family & friends. We all deserve a life-changing dessert every now and then.
White Chocolate Cheesecake
makes one 9-inch cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:
10 ounces chocolate cookie crumbs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake:
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
boiling water (for the water bath)
For the White Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine chocolate cookie crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. In a 9-inch springform pan, press cookie mixture into the bottom and up the sides about 1 1/2 inches. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Cheesecake:
Reduce oven to 325 degrees F. Place cooled pan on a couple large squares of aluminum foil. Wrap foil up the sides of the pan to waterproof.
Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat safe bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the white chocolate, making sure the chocolate is completely covered. Let stand for one minute then gently stir the chocolate until completely melted.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in sugar and beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly add the white chocolate mixture. Once combined, reduce mixer speed to low and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt.
Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared pan.
Set the cheesecake pan into a large roasting or baking pan and place it in the oven. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, filling it about one inch high (be careful not to go over the aluminum foil). Bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for one more hour, until the center is just set (when you gently shake the pan, the center should be jiggly). Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
For the White Chocolate Ganache:
Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat safe bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the white chocolate, making sure the chocolate is completely covered. Let stand for one minute then gently stir the chocolate until completely melted. Let sit until it reaches desired consistency (it will thicken as it cools).
Pour over top of the chilled cheesecake. Serve & enjoy!
*NOTES:
– I used about 10 Oreo 100-calorie packs for the crust.
– The chocolate cookie crumbs can be made with a food processor or by placing the cookies in a plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin or other heavy object.
– To store, keep the cheesecake in the refrigerator.
For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:
10 ounces chocolate cookie crumbs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake:
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
boiling water (for the water bath)
For the White Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
For the Chocolate Cookie Crust:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine chocolate cookie crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. In a 9-inch springform pan, press cookie mixture into the bottom and up the sides about 1 1/2 inches. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Cheesecake:
Reduce oven to 325 degrees F. Place cooled pan on a couple large squares of aluminum foil. Wrap foil up the sides of the pan to waterproof.
Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat safe bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the white chocolate, making sure the chocolate is completely covered. Let stand for one minute then gently stir the chocolate until completely melted.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in sugar and beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly add the white chocolate mixture. Once combined, reduce mixer speed to low and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt.
Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared pan.
Set the cheesecake pan into a large roasting or baking pan and place it in the oven. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, filling it about one inch high (be careful not to go over the aluminum foil). Bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for one more hour, until the center is just set (when you gently shake the pan, the center should be jiggly). Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
For the White Chocolate Ganache:
Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat safe bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the white chocolate, making sure the chocolate is completely covered. Let stand for one minute then gently stir the chocolate until completely melted. Let sit until it reaches desired consistency (it will thicken as it cools).
Pour over top of the chilled cheesecake. Serve & enjoy!
*NOTES:
– I used about 10 Oreo 100-calorie packs for the crust.
– The chocolate cookie crumbs can be made with a food processor or by placing the cookies in a plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin or other heavy object.
– To store, keep the cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Source: cheesecake slightly adapted from Not So Humble Pie, crust & ganache are my own
the sequined cupcake 
This was the first time I’ve ever made a cheesecake and it came out PERFECTLY! My cookie crust was a little thick so I think I may have compacted it a little too much and the ganache was a little thick so i may cut the amount of white chocolate in half next time, but it tasted so close to the real last resort thing! Will definitely be making again!
Go Dawgs and pass the chocolate.
(When I’m finished remodeling, this will be the first thing I bake!)
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bet this is good. looks like theres enough sugar, unlike too many other cheesecake recipes.
I looooooooooove white chocolate and I really like the combination with cream-cheese
Awesome cake, and I'm pinning this
I was also always under the impression that Tammy, the cakes baker and created used sweetened condensed milk for the topping could this be true? WCC was our main wedding cake, thank you so much for posting!
The last resort freezes their wcc
also, do you think this can be made in a 9×13 pan and if yes would you change baking time?
Can this be frozen in advance?
I can't believe I came across this recipe! I was literally dreaming of Last Resort White Chocolate CHeesecake today after being gone from Athens for more than a year. I found your post while searching the internet for a recipe that might match up!!! Where did you get this recipe?
Hi Elaine! I am so happy to hear that you've baked up a couple of recipes! Hopefully you all enjoyed the cheesecake :) I'm planning on posting some Valentine's treats in the next couple weeks, so I hope you check back! Thank you for letting me know that you liked my recipes… it means so much! :)
Hi Nicole,
This is the second recipe I've tried from your blog. The first one was Dreaming of a White Christmas which was superb! Made the cheesecake last night to bring over to a friend's. I can tell this will be devoured ASAP. So easy to make too! Can't wait to try your other recipes. Got any Valentines stuff?
I LOVE white chocolate but white chocolate cheesecake sounds incredible!
Your cheesecake is absolutely gorgeous. Love it! :)
@Anon- Thanks so much!!
@Jenn- Please give it a try… if you love white chocolate than this is heaven :)
@Roberto- Thanks for stopping by!
yummy here great chocolate http://bit.ly/vtMXB3
I am such a huge fan of white chocolate and this cheesecake sounds delicious!
Very sweet post. Heartwarming. :) (the cheesecake looks great too!)
This really does look life-changing. I'm a white chocolate fan :)
I liked reading about you & your sister :) So sweet. I'm proud she's serving her country and I'm proud you're blogging ;)
@Tina- Thanks! I know- some people just can't taste or don't like white chocolate. I love it though :)
@JennyP- You know it! I'm glad it was in your fridge & not mine teehee
@Μαζί… KaPa- Thanks!! :)
Congratulations it looks yammi!!!
Holla! Thanks for the shout out! hehe
Even better than Last Resort's–where we used to have to call ahead to make sure they even had a slice to reserve for us when we got there!!
The down side–having the rest of the cake sitting in my fridge just staring at me everytime I opened the door to get fruit or veggies out for a snack. It wasn't there long though ;)
I Litterally would call too and reserve a piece lol it’s my favorite dessert in the world, I’m totally making this soon! Is it really the same as last resorts wcc?
I love the dark chocolate crust paired with the white chocolate cheesecake-yum! It does make for a stunning presentation also. Funny-my parents say that white chocolate tastes like nothing–apparently some people palates are not as keen as others! Thanks for sharing this one-delicious.