Hello!

Well, so much for a healthy week… I have a full-blown cold and feel like just snuggling in bed with a hot water bottle and a good book. I’m reading Little White Lies {by Lesley Lokko} at the moment – what a fab read! I love {and have read} all her books.

Anyways, so that’s what I really want to be doing right now…

Instead, I have a ton of laundry to get through AND my dishwasher has stopped working. Fabulous.

Oh well, nothing like a rich and decadent slice of cheesecake to lift the spirits!

We had dinner with friends last night and I made this double chocolate cheesecake for dessert, and am enjoying my leftover slice as we speak…

You will need:
{for the base}
2 cups finely crushed ginger biscuits
1/2 a cup of melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon

{for the brownie layer}
1/2 a cup of butter
110g dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1/6 cup cocoa
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup flour

{for the cheesecake}
3 blocks of 250g cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tbs flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup milk

{for the chocolate ganache top layer}
100g dark chocolate buttons
80ml cream

It might seem like a lengthy recipe but it’s actually quite simple and straight-forward…

Right, so start off by making the base, by combining all the ingredients and pressing the mixture into a springform cake tin. It’s important to use this tin for a cheesecake! {And always put your tin inside a shallow baking tray or cookie sheet, just incase some excess butter from the crust leaks out}
I also like to line my tin with baking paper, it just makes it a little bit easier when removing the cake, to prevent any of the crumbs falling off.
You will need to press it a few centimeters up the sides of the tin if you want the base to go round the sides of the cake – up to you.
Using the bottom of a glass to press the crumb mixture into the tin makes it just a bit easier and gives you a neater finish.

Next, prepare your brownie mixture by heating the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave {gasp! shock, horror – yes!} until it’s just melted. Quickly stir until smooth and then whisk in half the sugar.
Next, whisk in the eggs one by one.
Whisk in the vanilla and cocoa powder, and finally, stir in the flour until just incorporated.

Pour the brownie mixture onto the biscuit base and bake in a pre-heated oven of 175C for 20 minutes.

While it cools down, prepare your cheesecake filling:
Soften the cream cheese, by beating it in a stand mixer until it is creamy, smooth and almost fluffy.
Add the sugar, flour, vanilla and milk and beat until everything is mixed thoroughly and it has a smooth and glossy consistency.
Add the eggs and mix gently until it’s just incorporated – you don’t want to over beat the eggs…

Set your oven to 190C.

Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the brownie and biscuit base and bake for about 45 minutes.

Once the cheesecake has finished baking, let it cool as is for about 15 minutes and only then loosen the springform sides.
Let it cool even further with the loosened sides and only attempt to fully remove the cake from the tin once it’s reached room temp.

Next, make the ganache by heating the cream until boiling point and then pouring it over the chocolate buttons. Leave for about 5 minutes and then stir until it’s smooth.
Pour over the cheesecake and refrigerate.

Voilà!

{Watch out for my hearty lamb shank recipe tomorrow!}