Baked chocolate cheesecake
SERVES 6
Preparation 30 minutes plus 2 hours chilling
Cooking 2 hours 10 minutes
115g digestive biscuits
250g good-quality plain chocolate
200g unsalted butter
150ml soured cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
125g caster sugar
500g cream cheese
150ml whipping cream
125g shelled hazelnuts, chopped
to decorate
6 shelled hazelnuts
To make the crust, put the biscuits in a strong polythene bag and crush with a rolling pin. Grate 25g of the chocolate. Melt 85g of the butter, add the crumbs and grated chocolate, and mix the ingredients well together. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 23cm spring-form cake tin.
To make the filling, break the remaining chocolate into a bowl and add the remaining butter. Place over a saucepan of simmering water until the mixture is smooth, stirring all the time. Stir in the soured cream and vanilla and heat gently, then remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/Gas Mark 3. Put the eggs and sugar
in a bowl and whisk together until the mixture is thick and
pale and forms ribbons when the whisk is lifted. Beat in the cream cheese, stir in the chocolate mixture and fold in the chopped nuts.
Pour the filling onto the base in the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for two hours. Leave to cool then chill in the fridge (it will sink in the centre).
Before serving, remove the cheesecake from the tin. Whip the cream until it stands in soft peaks then use to decorate the cheesecake, along with the hazelnuts.
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