I was watching TLC’s ‘Take Home Chef’ this morning while at the gym and I saw this decadent dessert that I must share. This is a dish I definitely plan on making for Valentine’s Day. When I saw how easy it was to prepare and how delicious it looked, it made me want to hop off the elliptical machine and run to the store (literally run to burn off the extra calories I’ll be consuming)!
Here it is…..
Chocolate Cheesecake
Makes 6
Ingredients:
For the cheesecake crust:
8 ounces/225 g semisweet chocolate wafer cookies
5 tablespoons/75 g unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake filling:
8 ounces/225 g good-quality semisweet chocolate (such as Scharffenberger), chopped
1 1/2 pounds/700 g cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup/200 g superfine sugar
3 tablespoons/30 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons/10 ml vanilla extract
3 large eggs
For the chocolate sauce:
2/3 cup/155 ml heavy whipping cream
4 ounces/115 g good-quality semisweet chocolate (such as Scharffenberger), chopped
Method:
To prepare the crust: Finely grind the cookies in a food processor. Blend the butter into the crumbs to form a moist sandy texture.
Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom (not the sides) of six 4-inch-/1-cm-diameter spring form pans. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.
To prepare the filling: Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, then set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir the chocolate until melted then set aside to cool to lukewarm.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended.
Stir the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture to blend. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the chilled crusts, dividing it equally.
Place the cheesecakes on a heavy baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the cakes puff slightly but the tops do not crack and are slightly darker in the center. The cakes will be slightly wobbly but will become more firm as they cool.
Turn the oven off and leave the oven door open to allow the cakes to cool for 1 hour. The cheesecakes will have cooled but will still be slightly warm. If desired, they can be refrigerated at this point until they are cold.
Meanwhile, to make the chocolate sauce: Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat just until it begins to simmer. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt slightly.
Stir the cream mixture with a whisk until the chocolate has melted completely and the sauce is smooth.
To serve: Run a small sharp knife around the pan sides to loosen the cheesecakes from the pans. Release the pan sides and transfer the cheesecakes to plates.
Drizzle the warm chocolate sauce over and around the cheesecakes and serve.