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for a 22 or 24 cm cheesecake
Ingredients
For the biscuit crust
- 200 g Chocolate cookies
- 80 g Butter (unsalted,melted)
For the filling
- 250 g Mascarpone cheese
- 200 g Cream cheese
- 200 g Sour cream
- ½ Lemon (juice and zest)
- 3 tbsp Powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1 tbsp Rum / liqueur (an option)
- 30 g Almonds (peeled, sliced or crushed)
- 3 Gelatin sheets (5 grams each)
For the topping
- 150 ml Cream (with a creamy, not liquid consistency)
- 100 g Dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 20 - 30 g White chocolate (grated)
- Candied cherries
Instructions
The biscuit crust (As all types of cheesecake)
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Crush the cookies (the easiest way to create the crumbs is with a food processor but you can do it by hand as well). Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a bowl (in a heavy saucepan or the top of a double boiler over medium-low or medium heat or in a microwave at the lowest power for about a minute). Place baking paper on the bottom of a 22 - 24 cm springform pan. Press the crust mixture with a potato masher into the bottom of the pan ( for better result use springform pan or cake ring – http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Cake-Rings). Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius /350 F. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius /350 F for 5 - 6 min. Remove the cheesecake crust from the oven and let it cool.
The filling
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In a large bowl mix the mascarpone, cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and peel, powdered sugar, liqueur and almonds (it is not necessary to use an electric mixer, you can use an egg beater).
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Soak the gelatin in a small bowl filled with 50 ml cold water until soft.
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Place the bowl in the microwave at the lowest power for 30 seconds or in a saucepan over very low heat (do not boil it because the gelatin will lose its efficacy) stirring just until it melts completely. The mixture should be warm but not hot.
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Then stir into the large bowl with cheese, gently whisk occasionally to prevent lumps. Pour the cheese mixture onto the biscuit layer and leave the cake ring in the refrigerator for a few hours or until firm.
The topping
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Combine cream and chocolate, chopped into small pieces in a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter. Stir occasionally until it creams completely. Set aside to cool and pour the mixture over the cheese filling. Put the cheesecake, uncovered, in the refrigerator to cool overnight. Garnish the cheesecake with grated white chocolate and candied cherries.
