Ingredients

Brownie crust:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake:
2 8-ounce packages of reduced-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 pint (2 cups) light sour cream
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Melt chocolate; add water and sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Spread in springform pan. Bake 25-30 minutes on the middle rack in oven, or until brownie edges are done and start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Don't overbake. Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes. While it's cooling, prepare the filling: Turn down the oven to 300 degrees. Fill a 9-by-13-inch baking pan halfway with water and place this on the bottom rack. This creates moisture to keep the cheesecake from cracking during baking. Make sure the cream cheese is very soft. If it's not, warm it up in the microwave a few seconds (otherwise it forms little lumps). Blend together the cream cheese with the sugar until very smooth. Add sour cream, eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. Pour on top of brownie mix in springform pan. Place pan on middle rack of oven (any lower and you risk burning the brownie crust). Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it an additional hour, with the oven door closed. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Garnish the top with fresh or frozen raspberries. (Add frozen berries less than a half-hour before serving so they can't thaw and bleed into the cake.)