Deep Chocolate Cheesecake

I saw this indulgent dessert over at Chocolate Log Blog (well a version of it) and suddenly had a craving for cheesecake. Choclette made a Chocolate & Lime Cheesecake Surprise. I may get my knuckles rapped for half inching the photo, but I'm sure Choclette won't mind. It just looks so good.

You may have guessed from looking at my photo that the surprise is the layer of chocolate above the biscuit base. Great idea don't you think? The other innovation in this cheesecake is the addition of yoghurt, not something you would usually see listed in the ingredients.

My brain started ticking over when I read yoghurt. I thought, hey wouldn't this cheesecake be great flavoured with toffee yoghurt?

I guess you are wondering why this is a chocolate cheesecake and not a toffee cheesecake?

Well, it didn't quite go as planned.

I did add the toffee yoghurt, but it just didn't give enough flavour. If I was going to make this again as a toffee cheesecake I would probably make some of the toffee sauce that I topped my Toffee Pecan Brownies with and swirl it through the cheesecake. I think that would be divine.

Unfortunately I didn't have the ingredients to hand and my brother-in-law was arriving any minute. So, thinking on my feet I dived into the cupboard for my trusty jar of Green & Black's Cocoa. Voila, deep chocolate cheesecake. Velvety smooth and wickedly naughty.

Deep Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

100g butter, melted
200g digestive biscuits
200g dark chocolate, broken into chunks
75g Philadelphia or any soft cream cheese
20g granulated sugar
250ml double cream, whisked into soft peaks
250ml toffee flavoured yoghurt
¾ to 1 cup cocoa
chocolate flakes to decorate

Method

1. Place the digestive biscuits into a large bowl and bash them with the end of a rolling pin until they are crumb like. Mix the melted butter into the biscuit crumbs until well combined.
2. Pour the biscuit mixture into a round 20cm flan dish and mould it to fit the bottom and sides (as you would with pastry).
3. Melt the pieces of dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, being careful not to let the bowl touch the water.
4. Pour the melted chocolate over the biscuit base and spread out as much as possible. Pop in the fridge to set.
5. Mix the cream cheese with the sugar and then fold in the double cream and the yoghurt. Next add the cocoa a little at a time. Taste as you go until it is just right for you.
6. Spoon the mixture onto the set chocolate layer and smooth out.
7. Sprinkle with chocolate flakes or grated chocolate.

I'll be making this cheescake again as it was very easy to make and much enjoyed. However, we did find the chocolate layer hard to break through with a spoon, without crumbs flying everywhere. My suggestion would be to make chocolate ganache for the chocolate layer.

I do hope you try this cheesecake, it is so adaptable. Lime, lemon, orange, toffee, chocolate, the options are endless. You could make this cheesecake time and time again and never be bored.