I love to make cheesecakes and frequently give them as gifts or donate them to fund-raisers! the mint version is so addictive, its flavour is so unique, the texture is unbeatable!
Ingredients:
- 185g unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (25g) good-quality cocoa, sifted
- 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour, sifted
- 50g dark chocolate, melted, cooled
Mint topping:
- 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
- 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
- 250g cream cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 100ml thickened cream
- 2-3 drops green food colouring
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease and line a 20cm square loose-bottomed cake pan with baking paper.
- Place butter, cocoa, sugar, eggs and flour in a bowl and mix well to combine. Press firmly into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, for the mint topping, place sugar, mint and 1/2 cup (125ml) water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes, then set aside to cool completely. Strain the sugar syrup into a jug, discarding the solids. Place the cream cheese in a food processor and whiz for a few seconds to soften. Add cooled sugar syrup, eggs, peppermint extract, cream and food colouring and process until smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into cake pan then tightly wrap the base of the pan with foil to make it watertight. Place the cheesecake in a deep baking dish and fill with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until topping is just set – the cake may have a slight wobble but it will firm on cooling. Remove from the oven and cool completely, then chill for 2 hours or until firm.
- Cut cheesecake into slices, drizzle over the cooled melted chocolate and serve.
Don’t forget to check out my new blog http://spoonfulofflavours.wordpress.com/
AussieDesserts 