Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe is a variation of a fruit cheesecake. I really love anything with chocolate in it so it was a logical step to turn this recipe into a chocolate version.
The recipe is pretty forgiving but is best made the day before it is need to make sure it sets.

I crush the malt biscuits and mix in the melted butter in the food processor...but before I had that I have resorted to crushing the biscuits with a wine bottle between sheets of newspaper.

Another trick I picked up after years of bases that didn't always hold together is to use a potato masher to compact the base.



Cheesecake Recipe

2/3 cup lemonade
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs of gelatine
250g cream cheese
1 tsp of vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
1 cup whipped cream
1 kingsized block of dark chocolate (I use Whittakers Dark Ghana with 72% cocoa solids)
420g can berries
1 packet of malt biscuits
100g melted butter
8 inch spring cake tin

Stir lemonade, sugar and gala tine together in a pot over a low heat until dissolved. Leave to cool.
Crush malt biscuits and mix in melted butter. Press into the base of the tin.
Cream cream cheese, rind and vanilla.
Beat in cooled gelatine mixture and cool until partially set. I don't always wait for this but I do allow time overnight for it to fully set.
Fold in whipped cream, melted chocolate
and well drained fruit.
Pour into crumb base and leave in fridge until set.

Cheesecake recipe

This is another recipe that comes from my Mum. The basic version that is in the recipe uses a tin of fruit salad.
I usually do a variation using different fruit. The most popular one is chocolate (one king sized block of bitter dark chocolate melted and stirred in) and brandy soaked cherry (pitted cherries soaked in brandy for about a year).
The one I made today used fresh strawberries and frozen raspberries.

I crush the malt biscuits and mix in the melted butter in the food processor...but before I had that I have resorted to crushing the biscuits with a wine bottle between sheets of newspaper.

Another trick I picked up after years of bases that didn't always hold together is to use a potato masher to compact the base.

Cheesecake Recipe

2/3 cup lemonade
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs of gelatine
250g cream cheese
1 tbsp lemon zest (I leave this out in the chocolate one)
1 dsp of lemon juice (I leave this out in the chocolate one)
1 tsp of vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
1 cup whipped cream
420g can fruit salad (or other fresh fruit)
1 packet of malt biscuits
100g melted butter
8 inch spring cake tin

Stir lemonade, sugar and gala tine together in a pot over a low heat until dissolved. Leave to cool.
Crush malt biscuits and mix in melted butter. Press into the base of the tin.
Cream cream cheese, rind, juice and vanilla.
Beat in cooled gelatine mixture and cool until partially set. I don't always wait for this but I do allow time overnight for it to fully set.
Fold in whipped cream and well drained fruit.
Pour into crumb base and leave in fridge until set.