For the Graham Cracker Crust: Using a food processor or blender, pulse your graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Mix together your graham cracker crumbs and butter, and stir until they're combined. Pour crust into a 9 inch pie plate and press down evenly to cover the bottom and all sides. Put in the refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes. For the Cheesecake Layer: Beat the cream cheese for 2-3 minutes until nice and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat together till smooth. In a separate bowl, beat your whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese. Carefully pour the cheesecake mixture into the graham cracker crust. Smooth the top evenly. Place in the fridge to chill till needed. For the Raspberry Topping: In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Add in the sugar and the 2 cups of raspberries. Bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the mixture is thickened. Transfer to another bowl and place in the fridge to cool until chilled. Spread the raspberry topping over the cream cheese filling, and top with fresh raspberries if desired. Cover carefully with plastic wrap and chill for an additional 4 hours, up to overnight. Top with additional whipped cream when serving, if desired.
For the raspberry topping you can use either fresh or frozen raspberries. I like to add a few fresh raspberries on top of the whole thing when it’s all done to make it look extra pretty, so I usually use fresh raspberries for the sauce too. But if you’re making this pie in the middle of winter and you can’t find fresh raspberries, frozen will totally work great too. You’ll boil the raspberries up with some sugar for sweetness, and a cornstarch and water slurry for thickening. You’ll allow the mixture to come to a boil, and boil it till it’s nice and thick. Allow the mixture to chill before pouring it on top of the cheesecake filling to keep it from causing the cheesecake to separate.