Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

RECIPE

This chocolate mousse cheesecake recipe isn’t as hard as you’d think. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a rich, decadent chocolate cake you can’t go past. The ideal recipe for a special birthday, celebration or simply to hit that wicked choccie craving.

This cake recipe pairs particularly well with strawberries, but serve with any in season fruit to cut through the richness.

RECIPE

Chocolate mousse cheesecake

PREP: 40 mins | COOK: 1 hr 30 mins | DIFFICULTY: Medium | SERVES: 8-10

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:
20-24 Oreos
1/4 cup butter melted
3 x packets cream cheese at room temperature (or 2 + mascarpone)
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
340g dark chocolate, chopped
3 tbs cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cream

Ganache:
1 cup cream
250g dark choc chopped

Optional fresh fruit to decorate

Full method:

1. Preheat oven to 150º fan-forced. Grease base and sides of a round springform pan. Double line the outside with foil. Place Oreos and melted butter into a food processor, blitz until fine crumbs. Press crumb into base of tin and bake for 15 minutes.

2. Melt dark chocolate, then set aside to cool slightly. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add sugars and cocoa and beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time and beat until just combined. Fold in dark melted chocolate and vanilla. Whip cream then fold into the chocolate batter. Spoon batter into cooled tin.

3. Preheat oven to 160ºC fan-forced. Place the foil lined tin into a larger tray, and fill larger tray with 1 inch boiling water to create a water bath.Bake for 1hr 10 minutes, or until there is only the slightest wobble. Peel back foil carefully and run a knife around the edge of tin, then allow cake to cool in tin.

4. Heat cream in a small saucepan until starting to bubble. Pour hot cream over chopped dark chocolate, mix until smooth. Place cake on rack with a larger tray underneath. Pour cream and chocolate ganache over cooled cake, covering the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Scoop leftover ganache into a bowl and refrigerate, to use for your piped ganache decorations later. Top with fresh fruit and remaining piped ganache.

STEPS:

Step 1: Press base into tin

Press Oreo and butter crumb into the base of a springform pan, the outside wrapped in foil to just overlap the top edges. Bake for 15 minutes at 150º fan-forced.

Step 2: Beat cheesecake batter

Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add sugars and cocoa and beat until combined.

Step 3: Fold chocolate and cream

After beating in eggs, fold in cooled melted chocolate and vanilla.

Step 4: Fold in cream

Fold in whipped cream then pour into cake tin.

Step 5: Cool in tin

Remove foil and use a knife to separate cake from tin. Allow to cool in tin.

Step 6: Ganache glaze

Pour hot cream over chopped dark chocolate. Stir until combined. Pour over cooled cake. Catch the run off in a tray beneath.