Definitely not just a dark version of a cheesecake; this cheesecake is in a class of its own! Smooth chocolate and cream cheese creates a winning combination to ensure a melting-in-the-mouth moment with every single bite.
INGREDIENTS
CRUST 2 x Packets of Oreo biscuits 100g butter, melted CHEESECAKE 200g milk chocolate, finely chopped 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup cream 3 x 230g tub cream cheese 1 cup castor sugar ¼ cup cacao 4 large eggs 2 tsp instant coffee (dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water) OR 2 tbsp espresso 1 tbsp vanilla essence Pinch of salt
METHOD
CRUST 1. Prepare a springform cake tin (23-25cm) with non-stick spray. 2. In a food processor, grind the Oreo cookies until fine (Tip 2). 3. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. 4. Add the crust to the bottom and sides of the prepared cake tin. 5. Place the cake tin in the fridge for the crust to set. CHEESECAKE 1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C and ensure the oven rack to be in the middle or two thirds from the top of the oven (Tip 3). 2. In a small glass jug, add the cream and heat it in the microwave until boiling point (1-2min). 3. In a medium glass bowl, add the milk- and dark chocolate. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute before stirring until a smooth ganache forms. Set aside. 4. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment to beat for 5-10 minutes until the cream cheese is light and fluffy (Tip 4). 5. Add the castor sugar and cacao powder to the cream cheese and mix until well combined. 6. Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture, one by one, mixing well after each addition. 7. Add the coffee, vanilla and salt and mix until just combined. 8. Fold the chocolate ganache into the batter and mix until well combined. 9. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 110⁰C and bake for another 45 minutes (Tip 5). 10. Switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven with the door closed. 11. Once cooled (4-6 hours), remove the cheesecake from the oven. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to set further in the fridge (4-6 hours or overnight).
TIPS 1. The better the quality of your chocolate, the better the taste of your cheesecake. 2. If you don’t have a food processor, use any method you know to finely crumble the cookies. The finer the texture, the less crumbly the baked crust will be. 3. I prefer to bake a cheesecake or milktart one level lower than the middle of the oven. 4. You can also use a hand electric mixer, but the whisking technique adds more air into the cream cheese, which creates cracks on top of the cheesecake when the air escapes when baking. 5. I place an oven tray below the cheesecake to capture the butter dripping out of the cake tin to prevent the fat from creating smoke when dripping onto the bottom of the oven.