Chocolate and Caramel Ripple Cheesecake with Brownie Base.

I have said it before but I will say it again. Cheesecake is my favourite dessert. It is also one of my favourite foods to experiment with. I love thinking up and trying out new flavours. This weekend brought the idea of mixing things up with a brownie base instead of the usual biscuit base. Now I don't know about you but I love, love, love brownies. Particularly when they are fudgy in the middle but crispy, bordering on over cooked on the edges. Pair this with a delicious, light cheesecake filling and I think that sounds like a darn good sweet treat.



The cheesecake filling I used is a delicious, light and fluffy filling. It is light on flavour which lets the brownie base remain the star of the dessert. And the chocolate and caramel sauces which are rippled throughout just finish it off. The gelatine in the cheesecake filling also means that you don't have to worry as much about getting the perfect consistency or allowing the cheesecake to set overnight. 4 hours in the fridge and you are good to go.



No fluffy around this week, it's straight to the recipe!

This week's tips and hints:
* I use about half of the chocolate and caramel sauces to ripple through the filling and save the rest to drizzle over when you serve.
* Don't stress if your filling is a little lumpy when you fold all the ingredients together. While you want it to be as smooth as possible, you also don't want to beat all the air out of the whipped cream. As long as the cream cheese was whipped until smooth and it is relatively well combined with the cream you will still get a delicious and smooth cheesecake.



Enjoy! Xxx

Chocolate and Caramel Ripple Cheesecake



Serves: 8 - 12
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Setting time: 4+ hours

Ingredients

Brownie base
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain flour
40g cocoa
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup choc chips

Cheesecake filling
3 tsp powdered gelatine
1/2 cup water
250g cream cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbls lemon juice
300ml thickened cream

Chocolate sauce
120g good quality milk chocolate
4 tbls thickened cream

Caramel sauce
2 tbls brown sugar
40g butter
4 tbls thickened cream

Method

Preheat oven to 160ºC. Line the base of a 20cm springform fan with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.

Melt butter in a saucepan, over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Sift in flour and cocoa and stir until well combined.

Stir in the vanilla and choc chips.

Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Once the brownie base has cooled start on your sauces and filing.

Caramel sauce

Place butter, cream and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Do not boil! Set sauce aside to cool.

Chocolate sauce

Place chocolate and cream in a small saucepan.  Stir over a low-medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Do not boil! Set aside to cool.

Cheesecake filling

Sprinkle gelatine over water in a cup and stand in a small pan of simmering water. Stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a large bowl.

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into cheese mixture. Fold in gelatine mixture.

Pour half the cheesecake mixture into springform pan on top of brownie base. Drizzle 1/4 of the chocolate and brownie sauces over the mixture. Swirl with a wooden skewer.

Pour the rest of the cheesecake mixture into pan. Drizzle with another 1/4 of the chocolate and caramel sauces. Swirl with a wooden skewer.

Place in fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

Before serving heat leftover caramel and chocolate sauces for 15 seconds in microwave and stir until smooth. Drizzle over each slice of cheesecake as served.

International Cheescake Day 2015: Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Did someone say cheesecake?! International cheesecake day? A whole day to celebrate the wonder that is cheesecake? Count me in!

I could not resist using this photo. Not only because it is a great picture of the cheesecake but
notice my photobomber in the background. He thought it smelt amazing. He was no more than
a metre away the entire time I was photographing.

If you asked me to list my favourite desserts there is no doubt that cheesecake would top the list. If you asked me to list my favourite cheesecakes however, I would really struggle. Cheesecake is such a versatile dessert, which is one of my favourite things about it. Chocolate, mint, caramel, lemon, black forrest, vanilla, the possibilities are endless.

Some of my favourite recipes that I have created are cheesecake recipes. The challenge of deciding on a flavour or flavour combination. Picking the right ingredients. Balancing the flavours and texture. And of course unveiling the masterpiece and tasting your victory. It really is one of those recipes that are deceptively simple and once you have mastered the basic recipe the possibilities are endless.

This recipe (as proven by the vote on my facebook page) is super popular and is so delicious. The combination of caramel and chocolate is classic and the addition of the salt really makes the cheesecake sing.

This weeks tips/hints.
* If you aren't a fan of salted caramel simply omit the salt from the recipe to make a nommy chocolate and caramel cheesecake instead.
* The pretzel crumb is optional. I personally love the salty, savoury, crunch it adds to the cheesecake. Again if it's not your thing, leave it off.
* The salted caramel sauce recipe makes a lot. Just pop any left overs in an air tight container in the fridge and warm up as necessary. It's great on ice cream.
* This is quite a soft cheesecake (I had forgotten about that since I last made it!). If you wanted it firmer you could play around with the cream cheese to top n fill ratio. Alternatively it would work wonderfully as individual cheesecakes in glasses or jars. Or next time I am going to add a small amount a gelatine to achieve the consistency that I want, I will update you!

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Prep time: 30 minutes
Set time: 5+ hours (overnight is best)

Ingredients
Base
250g choc ripple biscuits
100g melted butter

Filling
380g cream cheese
380g tin of Caramel Top n Fill
1 tbs lemon juice
salt, to taste

Ganache
150g milk chocolate
150g thickened cream

Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 thickened cream
60g butter
salt, to taste

Crushed pretzels (optional)

Method

Place biscuits in food processor and blitz until they create a crumb. Add melted butter and blitz until mixed.
Pour crumb into 19 cm springform pan and press gently into base and up sides (about 3/4 of the way).
Place in fridge while you make the filling.

Place cream cheese in mixer/processor and beat until smooth. Add caramel top n fill and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy. Salt to taste.
Pour filling over base and return to fridge to set (4 hours or overnight is best).

Once cheesecake has been setting for a few hours start on your ganache and salted caramel sauce.
To make the ganache place chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Return to microwave and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove and stir until all the chocolate is melted and the ingredients are well combined. If necessary return to microwave for a further 10 seconds at a time. Let ganache cool and thicken for half an hour or so, stirring occasionally.

To make the caramel sauce combine ingredients in a saucepan and place over medium high heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Once butter is melted simmer mixture for 4 minutes stirring constantly. Set sauce aside and allow to cool.

If adding pretzels, place a handful in food processor and blitz for a few seconds.

Once your sauce and ganache have cooled, remove cheesecake from the fridge. Drizzle ganache and caramel sauce over the top. Sprinkle pretzels over the cheesecake. Return to fridge for a short while to allow the toppings to set.

Enjoy!