This recipe has actually be lurking for about 3 months now, such is the busy period it’s been. A scrappy post-it in my kitchen and a whole heap of photos later, the impending Valentine’s Day spurred me to get blogging and try and recall what on earth went on.
I’d made this absolute delight of a cheescake (January dieters please look away now), as a treat for Rob while I was away working. It would be equally as great for Valentine’s Day, for which I now have to think of another show-stopping bake. Answers on a postcard please!
The brownies were a simple re-incarnation of my 3 ingredient Nutella brownies, fudgy, quick, and easy, they were perfectly resilient to being re-baked and refrigerated. And the best news was that I didn’t use a whole batch, so there were plenty left over for sampling
Recipe
1 batch Nutella Brownies
200g digestive biscuits
50g dark chocolate
75g butter
300g cream cheese
200g white chocolate
405g tin of condensed milk (unsweetened, the chocolate has enough sugar)
1 egg
Method
- Crush the biscuits / blend them to find crumbs in a food processor. Melt the dark chocolate and butter, and mix well. – Press into the bottom of a high-sided 8-10 inch springform pan, and bake at 180 degrees for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl (stand mixer is great if you have one), gently mix the cream cheese and condensed milk.
- Melt the white chocolate over a low heat, and slowly add to the cheese mixture, stirring continually. Finally add the egg and mix through.
- Pour approx. one centimetre of the batter onto the biscuit base, and position the brownies around the surface.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes at 180 degrees, until the cheesecake layer is set enough to hold the brownies in place.- Carefully fill up the tin with the remaining cheesecake mix, being careful not to splash or cover the brownies.
- Return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes, until the top is set (you can touch it with your finger without any mix sticking); the middle should still be wobbly.
- Remove from the oven, cool, and refrigerate in the tin for a minimum of 12 hours (overnight)
The finishing dark chocolate swirl is by no means necessary, but adds a great finish and hides any blips where the cheesecake mixture might have splashed onto the brownies. I melted about 25g into a small piping bag and covered the whole cake in swirls.
As it’s been baked this cheesecake will keep for up to a week in the fridge – if it lasts that long, not with slices this size that’s for sure!
The finished cheesecake had great contrasting textures, all brought together with a silky chocolate flavour. The crunchy base, chewy brownies, and creamy cheesecake make for an indulgent bite every time!