light & luscious chocolate espresso cheesecake

Hello Valentines! Well this time last year I was writing up my recipe for Espresso Your Love Chocolate Mousse and bemoaning the fact that Nick would be in Chicago for Valentines Day – this year he’ll be in China! Ah well – at least we got to share some of this cheesecake before he left! Chocolate and coffee are such a brilliant match and somehow this cheesecake manages to be light and not tooooo rich with a subtle coffee flavour matching perfectly with the dark chocolate. It is actually a total snap to make and looks fabulous lightly dusted in dark cocoa powder and laden with fresh berries. Wherever you are for Valentines Day, I hope you have a good one – and fear not whether attached or single you can still enjoy this decadent cheesecake…and if you’re enjoying a spell of total independence you won’t have to worry about sharing!

 

25g digestive biscuits or Graham crackers
1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
40g butter, melted
pinch of salt
145g dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp instant espresso mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water
400g cream cheese at room temperature, chopped into big chunks
100g sour cream
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 egg yolks

Mixed berries and 1 tsp dark cocoa powder to serve

 

Line the base and sides of an 18cm removable base cake tin with baking paper. Whiz the biscuits, cocoa and
melted butter together in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs then pour into the tin and squash down first with your fingers, then smooth out with the back of a tablespoon, taking the crumbs a tiny way up the sides to give the cheesecake a bit of extra support. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) and pop the base in the fridge while you make the filling. Melt the chocolate either in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently boiling water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water) or in bursts in the microwave. Whiz the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, cornflour and cocoa together in a food processor (just give the food processor bowl a
quick rinse after making the base) until smooth. Add the melted chocolate, coffee, eggs and extra yolks and pulse to combine. Pour the filling on top of the base and tap the tin lightly on the bench to pop air bubbles. Sit the cheesecake in it’s tin inside a bigger non-removable base cake tin and put both into a roasting dish. Pour boiling water in the base of the roasting dish – the bigger cake tin will stop the water from directly touching the side of the cheesecake tin. Cook for 30-35 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool in the oven with the door open just a crack – wedge something small in the door so its stays just a tiny bit open. Once cool keep in the fridge, and just remember to remove it half an hour before serving. Serve dusted in a little dark cocoa powder and piled high with berries. Serves 8 so handy for dinner parties too 🙂