A lovely, rich and decadent treat – you only need a small slice, but will probably go for a bigger one. I certainly did.
Serves: 10 – 12
Time: Prep: 30 mins + 30 min fridge time; baking: 45 – 50 mins + at least an hour fridge time; coating and decorating: 15 – 20 mins + yes you guessed it, more fridge time.
Level: Fairly easy
Equipment: 1 x 23cm (9”) round tin, preferably loose bottomed
Calories: Sorry, but if you need to ask, this isn’t the cake for you.
Ingredients
For the base
- 225g/8oz biscuits (I used bourbons. Next time, I’ll probably remove the creamy mid-layer so that the biscuit base is firmer.)
- 75g/2.5oz unsalted butter
- 30m/1fl oz – 40ml/1.25fl oz golden syrup (You don’t have to use this, but I like to include it.)
For the cheesecake
- 275g/9.5oz white chocolate
- 675g/24lb mixture of roughly half Ricotta and half Mascarpone or full fat cream cheese. (for a lighter cheesecake, use a higher proportion of Ricotta)
- 2 large eggs
- 125g/4.5oz caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g/5.5oz blueberries (reserve 50g for decoration later)
For the coating
- 1505.5oz dark chocolate
- 85ml/3fl oz double cream
Method
Before starting make sure there’s enough space in your fridge.
1. Crush the biscuits finely, either in a bag using a rolling pin, or whizz in a food processor.
2. Melt the butter (and golden syrup, if using) in a medium saucepan. Stir in the biscuit crumbs until everything is coated. Press firmly and evenly into the tin and smooth the surface. Place in fridge for at least half an hour to firm up.
3. Towards the end of the “fridge time” put the oven on to heat up to 160C/Fan 140C/325F/Gas 3 and lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the tin. (If, like me, you use those “Bake-even strips” then you probably don’t need to line the inside of the tin.)
4. Melt the white chocolate in a bain marie over a low heat, stirring frequently.
5. Lightly mix the eggs and add the vanilla extract in with them. Use an electric mixer on low speed to beat together the cheeses then add the egg mixture, followed by the cooled melted chocolate. Beat only until smoothly mixed. Stir in 100g blueberries.
(N.B. You’re beating only lightly to avoid incorporating lots of air, which could intensify any cracking later.)
6. Place the tin on a baking sheet and gently pour in the mixture. Bake in the heated oven for 45 – 50 minutes. Check at 40 minutes. When it has a slight wobble in the middle it’s ready. Turn the oven off and leave the baked cheesecake in to cool fully, with the door ajar.
7. Once cooled, place in the fridge for at least an hour (or overnight) to firm up.
8. Once it’s firm, release the cheesecake from the tin and place on a flat surface or, better still, a cake decorating turntable.
9. Melt the dark chocolate and stir in the cream. Leave for a few minutes then pour carefully over the cheesecake as evenly as possible, encouraging the chocolate to run down the sides. Use a small angled spatula to ensure a full, neat coverage. Once again, place in fridge to chill. (2 – 3 hours minimum.)
10. To decorate with the remaining blueberries either do it straight away, before the coating has set or wait until later, but you may need to melt a small amount of chocolate to “glue” them on.
I hope you enjoy making (and eating) this lovely cheesecake. If you want to see more cheesecake recipes click here. Or have a look at my site for lots of other recipes, sweet and savoury. If you’d like to comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 