New York Brownie Cheesecake

I have never made a cheesecake before yesterday, but I was in the mood for trying something new, so cheesecake it was! I found this recipe in Janelle Bloom's "fast fresh & fabulous". I don't know how fast it was, and given I made a batch of biscuits in between layers, it took a fair while. But it is pretty fabulous.

You will need:

100gm dark chocolate, chopped
100gm butter, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup of plain flour
2 tablespoons SR flour

Filling:
750gm cream cheese, at room temp, chopped
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temp
2 tablespoons plain flour
300gm sour cream

To serve:
300 ml double cream
2 tablespoons limoncello liqueur
cocoa powder

Preheat over to 180c no fan. Grease and line 23cm springform pan.

Combine chocolate and butter - now Janelle says to microwave on high for 2 mins, then stir til smooth. But I think I prefer to do this the old-fashioned way in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in sugar, egg and flours. Spread mixture over base of prepared pan. Bake brownie base 15 mins. Set aside and reduce over to 160c no fan.

For the filling, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until just combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour and sour cream until just combined. Pour over warm base and place on a baking tray.

Bake cheesecake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (the centre should still wobble slightly). Turn oven off, leave the door ajar, and allow to cool completely in the oven. Refrigerate until chilled.

Place the cream and limoncello in a bowl, whisk gently until combined. Cut the cheesecake into wedges with a warm knife, dust with cocoa powder and serve with the cream.



Enjoy!