Saturday, April 27, 2013

Black Forest Cherry Cheesecake

Serves 20 people (20-25cm cake tin)


This is by far the ultimate chocolate cheesecake. It is not for those who don't like to indulge in something sweet, however one taste and even they will become sweet-tooth's for one slice of heaven. It's simple and easy to prepare, no baking needed. The key ingredient in this recipe are the morello cherries, they hold their own tangy sweetness that give a great contrast to the pallet when combined with the decadent chocolate cheesecake. The good thing about this cheesecake, you can jazz it up with any fruit you like. Substitute the cherries for fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or strawberries by soaking them in liqueur or your preferred alcohol overnight. All you do is strain them as best you can and add it to the mixture, the left over juices can then be reduced to a thick sauce and poured over the top.

Black Forest Cherry Cheesecake


Ingredients

  • Butter for greasing
  • 200g plain chocolate biscuits
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 1 tbsp hot water (boiling)
  • 1 tsp gelatine
  • 2 x 250g packets of Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 x 670g jar morello cherries
  • Chocolate to decorate

Method

  1. Grease a 20-25cm cake tin (preferably with a removable base) with butter.
  2. Place biscuits in a food processor and blitz until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and process again until combined.
  3. Transfer biscuits into the cake tin. Using a glass with a flat base spread evenly around the bottom and sides of the tin. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins to harden the base. 
  4. Drain cherries into a sieve, reserving the liquid in a bowl for later use. Keep a 1/4 of the cherries for decoration. 
  5. Pour the reserved cherry liquid into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 mins. There is not need to stir the liquid. Remove from the heat and place in the freezer until ready to decorate.
  6. Break up the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water (making sure the bowl does not touch the water) and stir until melted.
  7. Using an electric beater or mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. Normally this takes me about 5 - 10 mins, depending on the weather. 
  8. In the meantime, place hot water in a heatproof glass and sprinkle with the gelatine. Stir with a fork until dissolved.
  9. Add melted chocolate and gelatine and beat until combined. Fold cherries through the mixture.
  10. Spoon into the pre-made biscuit base. Using a knife or a flat utensil smooth the surface. Decorate with remaining cherries and cherry liquid. Grate or shave some chocolate on top to finish.
  11. Place in fridge for up to 4 hours or enjoy the day after!

Hints!

  • The longer the cherries are left draining the better, as more liquid will drain into the bowl.
  • If you are not a big fan of biscuit bases, you can just cover the base of the dish, however be sure to not use all the biscuits as the base may become too thick.
  • The cherry liquid can be mixed through the cheesecake until completely combined or mix through slightly to get a marble effect.


2 comments:

  1. Sounds delish! My son has been asking for blueberry cheesecake so I'll try this with blueberries. Thanks for the recipe.

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    1. No worries. Let me know how it turns out! X

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