Sunday, June 5

Chocolate & orange cheesecake

06_11---Chocolate-orange-cheesecake2

I came home the other day super stressed (thanks work, I love you but sometimes you kill me!) and with an intense hankering for cheesecake. Unwilling to go out and buy a cheesecake I decided to make one knowing full well it wouldn't be done by the end of the day. I also knew the next day would be busy and so coming home to an almost finished cheesecake would be good. Knowing I would be able to finish it the next day made me very happy because at least it meant I would have finished something over that course of the week.

I've written before about the wonders of stress baking and my attitude hasn't changed. Baking (or doing anything productive really) is a great way to unwind after a busy week.

Sure, baking is sometimes really stressful in itself but it's enjoyable and distracting stress that results in tasty treats. The other benefit of stress baking late at night is that you get to have something tasty, decadent, and downright bad for you for breakfast. Like cheesecake. Cheesecake for breakfast is like the grown up version of ice cream or doughnuts for breakfast.

06_11---Chocolate-orange-cheesecake

This cake is crazy rich, as many cheesecakes are. The chocolate glaze however takes it to the next level so it may not be for everyone. However, if you're after something decadent this is an unmistakable winner.

The recipe is predominately from Tartelette with the super sweet chocolate topping coming from Gourmet Traveller.

Chocolate & orange cheesecake

adapted from Tartelette & Gourmet Traveller
Makes one 26cm (10") cheesecake

For the base
  • 125g butter, very cold and cut into cubes
  • 40g sugar
  • 150g plain flour
  • 10g cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line the base and sides of a 26cm (10") springform pan.

Work the butter, sugar, flour, and cocoa with a food processor or your fingers until it resembles damp sand. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and using your fingers or the back of a spoon press it firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 40 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack without removing it from the pan.

For the cheesecake batter
  • 500g cream cheese, softened
  • 70g butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons creme fraiche
  • 125g sugar
  • Zest of one orange
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour, sifted
  • 3 eggs, seperated

Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Place a large toasting tray full of freshly boiled water on the lowest rack of the oven. Position another rack in the centre of the oven.

Combine the cream cheese, butter, creme fraiche, sugar, orange zest, and cornflour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium-low to combine, being careful not to incorporate too much air. Add the egg yolks on at a time beating until just combined between each addition. Set the cream cheese mixture aside.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Pour the batter over the prepared base. Wrap the springform pan tightly in aluminium foil. Place the springform pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. When the time is elapsed, turn the oven off and open the door a crack. Allow the cake to cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight.

For the chocolate topping
  • 185ml water
  • 130g castor sugar
  • 15g citruspectin
  • 30g liquid glucose
  • 75g 70% cocoachocolate, roughly chopped

Heat the water in a small saucepan to 60°C, add 25g of sugar and all the pectin, whisk continuously until the mixture comes to the boil.

Add the glucose and remaining sugar, continue to whisk until the mixture once again comes to the boil and starts to thicken. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the prepared cheesecake. Cool to room temperature then cover with cling wrap, being careful that it does not touch the surface, and refrigerate until set.

9 comments:

  1. Yum, looks absolutely perfect :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. looks fab! i've been playing around with cheesecake recipes since a colleague of mine asked if i could bring one into work. this one looks like it may send us all into a food coma... which on a friday afternoon may not be such a bad thing :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mmmmm, this is the most tempting cheesecake i've ever seen!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like to cook too at the end of a streeful day or after a week. It's my yoga... This cheesecake look so good!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yummmy, it looks gorgeous!
    Have a good day! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. looks dank! :O so gonna try and make that for my step mothers birthday cake this weekend :) is it really nice? and are these your photos of what you made? let me know :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Completely agree about stress baking. It's my form of meditation!

    Love the look of this even though I'm not a big fan of cheesecake. Would be lovely to come home to this after work! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks everyone, I'm glad I'm not the only one who stress bakes like mad!

    ReplyDelete