«

»

Apr 17

Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Tart

 

 

 

 

Easter is here and there are several things I am celebrating this season … moved to a new apartment, recent trip to Iceland, then returned home to a new job which starts in two days time. Rather nervous but hey, it’s where I wanna be.

 

Iceland was a pleasant 5-day trip but boy have prices sky rocketed since I was last there. We met up with some of the boys from our last meet up in Milwaukee and we had great fun. Weather wasn’t the best. I could barely see anything through all the dense fog and cloud cover. We got ONE good day of clear skies and it was the day we decided to take the lot of them for the Golden Circle tour in our rented van. On our final night together we all went out for a very nice meal at Matarkjallarinn – the Food Cellar. Superb food, great ambience.

 

Once back I embarked on work and focused on sorting out the new apartment. Boxes and packaging were everywhere, it was driving me nuts. Don’t even get me started on the clothes. How have I collected so many I don’t even use?!

 

Anyway, Easter weekend came round so I decided to bake one last time before I went back to work full-time. I had invited my cousin round for a causal lunch and decided to whip up this dessert as it was quick and easy, plus it is devilishly decadent. After weeks of Lent I think this dessert is called for.

 

 


Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Tart.

400 g softened cream cheese

80 g sugar

150 mls fresh cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 whole eggs

200 g melted dark chocolate.

1 tbsp plain flour

Biscuit Base:

150 g dark chocolate digestives

80 g butter, melted

 

 

So the usual steps apply when making cheesecake. Crush biscuits and mix with melted butter. Press on the the base of an 8-inch greased flutted tart tin with a loose bottom. I always like to put down a circle of parchment paper even tho the tin in non-stick. Chill in the fridge.

The oven is preheated to 160°C / 320°F.

For the filling I literally just dumped everything in the stand mixer and whizzed everything up on medium. Cream cheese first with the sugar and cream. Then when everything is nice and creamy add the eggs one at a time with the vanilla. Add the flour and mix well and make sure there are no lumps. Finally add the melted chocolate.

Remove tin from the fridge and fill the base with cream cheese mixture. Shake the tin and tap it vigorously to expel any air bubbles. I like to wrap the bottom of the tin with foil to prevent any leaks. I know usually cheesecakes are baked in a bain maire but I didn’t do that with this … I put it straight in the oven. The low heat will gently cook the eggs in the cheese mixture and everything will be evenly baked. Also less chance of cracks on the surface.

Bake the cheesecake for one hour, then turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in there to gradually cool with the door slightly ajar. An hour later I removed it to cool completely on the kitchen counter.

For decoration I kept things simple. Just a drizzle of melted dark chocolate, a light sprinkling of crushed biscuit crumbs and Lindt chocolate balls. Et voila! Shove everything into the fridge to chill for about 4 hours then serve.

 

 

 

I have to admit I did cut myself a big slice and I enjoyed every mouthful. It is best to let the cheesecake come up to temp before cutting and serving it. When it is too cold the cheesecake can be a bit too firm. Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee.

 

~ Enjoy! ~

 

 

Share

Permanent link to this article: http://foodflurries.com/sweet/dark-chocolate-cheesecake-tart

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *