I was told that this is the best cheesecake. Ever.
Chocolate and mint, perfectly creamy, just the right balance of mint chocolate ganache, mixed with cream and cream cheese whipped to perfection. This cheesecake isn’t only delicious, it’s also ridiculously easy, especially for a cheesecake and it keeps well for a few days. Definitely perfect, right?
I found this Mint Chocolate Cheesecake recipe on Chelsea Winter’s website. For those who don’t know, Chelsea Winter is a New Zealand celebrity chef who won MasterChef New Zealand a couple of years back. I really love her food, she focuses on food that is easy for busy people to make and has a whole range from healthy weeknight meals to indulgent baking. I tweaked the recipe a bit to fit what I wanted to do, as I wanted a whole cheesecake and I wanted it to be like a proper set cheesecake, whereas I think the recipe on her website is almost more like a dessert that only has to go in the fridge for an hour.
The resulting cheesecake was smooth, creamy and had a wonderful chocolate-y mint flavour. I must admit, usually mint chocolate is not usually my favourite flavour as I think chocolate tastes pretty damn amazing all on its own, but it is my boyfriend’s absolute favourite, so sacrifices were made. In saying that however, there were definitely no sacrifices made in making this cheesecake as the mint only enhances the chocolate flavour, and you might even convince others ambivalent about mint to embrace the refreshing flavour. Or, if you are already in love with mint and chocolate, this one’s for you. Happy baking!
- 250g (9oz) packet mint chocolate biscuits (or plain chocolate)
- 50g (3 Tbspn) butter
- 150g (5oz) dark chocolate (at least 50%, I used Whittaker’s Dark Block)
- 1 tspn peppermint essence
- 1/2 cup cream, lightly whipped
- 1/4 cup cream
- 250g (9oz) cream cheese
- Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) springform cake tin.
- Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to a very fine crumb (or smash in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin if you don’t have a food processor). Add the butter and process (or transfer to a bowl and mix with a fork) until well combined.
- Tip the crumbs into the 20cm (8 inch) cake tin and, using your fingers, press into the base and up the sides if you can to form a shell. Put in the fridge whilst you make the filling.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a medium sized bowl and using an electric beater), then beat the cream cheese until fluffy and creamy.
- Break up the chocolate into small pieces and put into a heatproof bowl, add the peppermint essence.
- Heat the 1/4 cup of liquid cream in a small saucepan over a low heat until just steaming and starting to bubble. Make sure you don’t boil it or overcook it.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate mint mixture and leave to emulsify for 2 minutes, then whisk together until smooth.
- Cool slightly, then add little bit at a time to the beaten cream cheese, beating well after each addition. Then beat in the whipped cream by hand with a wooden spoon.
- Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and smooth the top over. I also ran the wooden spoon over it in a circular motion to get the nice spiraly pattern on top of mine.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- The cheesecake will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge, but is best served the day after it’s made, with leftovers eaten over the next few days.
Durasmoke Chocolate Mint 50 50
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