Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Base:
200g chocolate biscuits
55g brown sugar
100g butter, melted

Mousse-cheesecake:
120g chocolate, chopped
900g cream cheese, room temperature
15ml cocoa powder, sifted
375ml sugar
10ml vanilla
4 eggs
375ml cream
60ml icing sugar, sifted

Chocolate Ganache:
320g chocolate, chopped
300g cream

For the base:
Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to a fine crumb.
Spoon the biscuit crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and melted butter.
Mix together until it resembles wet sand.
Spoon the mixture into a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin and press evenly over the base.
Place in the refrigerator.

For the mousse-cheesecake:
Preheat your oven to 150℃.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt until completely smooth.
Add the cream cheese, chocolate, cocoa powder and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until incorporated.
Add the vanilla and eggs and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside.
Add the cream to another mixing bowl and sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
Whisk until the cream develops a mousse-y texture and soft peaks form.
Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture – do this in 3-4 batches. Fold until just incorporated.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into the cake tin with the biscuit base. Smooth the top and give the cake tin a jiggle to let out any air bubbles.
Place the cake tin soon top of a sheet of aluminium foil and fold the foil up the sides on the outside of the tin. Place the cake tin into a roasting pan and fill the pan with 2,5cm of hot water.
Bake the cake for 70 minutes. Check and refill the water in the roasting tin every 20 or so during baking.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and immediately run a sharp knife around the outside of the cake to release it from the tin.
Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before removing the tin ring.

For the ganache:
Add the cream to a small saucepan and warm it.
Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Set the cheesecake on a wire cooling rack, inside a baking sheet and pour the ganache over the cake.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Honeycomb Cheesecake

Chocolate Honeycomb Cheesecake

This recipe is a quick version of a burnt Basque cheesecake which one sees in almost every market on the French coastal region. The top of the cheesecake is supposed to be completely black, hence the name!

750g cream cheese, at room temperature
250g caster sugar
5 eggs
100g chocolate (honeycomb flavour), chopped
375ml cream
30ml cocoa powder, sifted
5ml vanilla
a pinch of salt
honeycomb or honeycomb chocolate (Crunchie), broken into pieces
60g chocolate (honeycomb flavour), melted

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a 22cm loose bottom cake tin with aluminium foil – this will prevent the cheesecake batter from leaking. Line the “foiled” cake tin with baking paper.
Add the cream cheese and caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat on high speed until the mixture is smooth and forms soft peaks.
Turn the mixer to a low-medium speed and add the eggs one at a time.
Add the chocolate and cream to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted.
Take the bowl from the heat and add the cocoa powder, vanilla an a pinch of salt. Stir through.
Turn the mixer onto a low speed and pour in the chocolate mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 60 minutes.
DO NOT PANIC WHEN YOU SMELL THE CHEESECAKE BURNING!!
Remove the cake from the oven and cool it completely. The cheesecake will have a wobbly centre when removed from the oven.
Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Place the cheesecake on a serving plate.
Pour over the melted chocolate and scatter the broken honeycomb.

Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake

Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake

The best of two worlds!! A delicious chocolatey brownie base with a velvet baked cheesecake topping!

For the brownie base:
115g butter
115g dark chocolate, chopped
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
50ml milk
115g flour

For the cheesecake topping:
500g cream cheese, room temperature
125g caster sugar
3 eggs
5ml vanilla
125ml Greek yoghurt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin.
Add the butter and chopped chocolate to a heatproof mixing bowl and place it over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir every now and then until melted.
Remove the bowl from the head and add the sugar. Whisk until the ingredients are amalgamated.
Add the eggs and milk and whisk to mix.
Add the flour and stir through until the mixture is just blended.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and even it out with a spatula.
Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove and set aside.
Lower the oven temperature to 160℃.
Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat together on high speed until you have a smooth mixture. Scrape the bowl down once or twice in between mixing.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the yoghurt. Stir the yoghurt through the cheesecake mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the baked brownie base.
Place in the oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Run a knife around the edge of the cake before removing the sides of the cake tin.
Cut into slices and drizzle with melted chocolate to serve.