Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake with a Coconut Macaroon Crust

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 9-inch spring form pan with foil. Grease the foil with butter or vegetable oil.

Make the crust. Place two egg whites in a mixing bowl. Reserve the egg yolks for later. Add the coconut and ⅛ teaspoon salt into the whites and mix well.

Press the coconut mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Make the filling. Zest the two lemons. Set zest aside then juice the lemons. In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in ⅛ teaspoon salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract.

Mix in the remaining whole eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined. Do the same for the two egg yolks left over from making the crust. Don’t over-mix at the point, or else your cheesecake might crack in the oven.

Fold in the sour cream, followed by the raspberries. Pour the batter into the spring form pan on top of the crust and smooth the top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the center is just set, but still slightly jiggly. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for another 15 minutes before taking it out. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Slice and serve with additional raspberries.