Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake

If you're after a crowd-pleasing dessert then look no further than this Chocolate Brownie Cake from composer, baker and finalist in the Platinum Pudding Competition 2022, Kathryn MacLennan. It's a veritable celebration of our Create with Firetree Philippines, Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa chocolate with layers upon layers of the flavour notes of honey, caramel and citrus singing through...

Ingredients

For the Crust:

400g digestives
200g unsalted butter, melted
50g macadamia nuts (this can be replaced with 50g more digestives to make this cake nut-free)

For the Brownie

100g unsalted butter
180g Firetree Philippines, Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa chocolate

25g cocoa powder
75g plain flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
120g caster sugar
70g light muscovado

For the Chocolate Cheesecake

430g soft cheese
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla paste
65g icing sugar
140ml double cream
125g Firetree Philippines, Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa chocolate

Chocolate Ganache

100g double cream
40g whole milk
100g Firetree Philippines, Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa chocolate

40g unsalted butter

Method

To make the crust

1. Roast the macadamia nuts in the oven at 170C Fan for 5 minutes until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before using.
2. Place the digestives and macadamias in a food processor, and blitz into a powder.
3. Remove the crumbs, and place into a large bowl. Mix and fold in the melted unsalted butter until combined.
4. Place the crumbs in a 9” springform tin, then spread an even layer of the crumbs along the bottom and up the sides of the tin using a straight sided glass. Press the crumbs until compact, then place in the fridge for minimum 30 minutes.
5. Once chilled, bake the crust for 10 minutes at 170C Fan until golden. Remove from the heat and go round with the glass, while the crumbs are still hot, and lightly compact them. Leave the crust to cool to room temperature.

To make the brownie

1. Place a saucepan over a low heat with an inch of water and leave to simmer. Place the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl, then place the bowl over the simmering water. Mix until fully melted and combined using a spatula and remove from the heat. Mix in the cocoa powder, then leave to cool slightly.
2. In a different bowl, add the eggs and sugar and whisk until combined. Pour into the chocolate mixture and mix until combined, and then add the flour and the salt. Fold the mixture until smooth, then pour into the crust and bake at 170C Fan for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

To make the cheesecake

1. Melt the chocolate and put it aside.
2. Place the cream cheese, salt, vanilla and sugar into a large bowl, and whisk
   using a hand mixer until combined. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream to soft peaks. Then, using a spatula, fold the cream into the cheese mixture. Once combined, add the melted chocolate and fold into the mixture.
3. Spread the cheesecake mix over the cooled brownie, and spread out the mixture using a small pallet knife, until it is as smooth and even as possible.
4. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

To make the ganache

1. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.
2. Combine the cream and the milk into a saucepan. Heat over a low heat until
   it starts to simmer.
3. Pour the hot cream over the dark chocolate and leave for a minute. Then,
   mix with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Make sure you do not
   incorporate any air during this step.
4. Add the butter and mix until it is fully combined.

Assembly

1. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, moving it to make sure it is flat and level. Place in the fridge overnight until it is set.
2. Leave out of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

 Find more creations by Kathryn MacClennan on her Instagram account.