I borrowed the recipe from"The Happy Cooking Friends", which itself was inspired by Jamie Oliver's Black Forest Cheesecake. I followed Girlycooker's recipe to the letter (except that I used cookies for the base) and I also made David Lebovitz's recipe for a chocolate sauce that won't set. It's a real discovery but the proportions were gigantic to cover my 6 mini-cheesecakes (if you make it, you can divide the quantities by 2, or even 3). I froze the rest and it seemed to work, so I think the best plan for next time would be to freeze it in ice cube trays and take out a cube or two to go with the ice cream...
We enjoyed these cheesecakes with my friends in front of the French team's quarter-final match, and they went down in a flash. The result is super gourmet! Even so, I prefer the original cheesecake recipe. Maybe it's my Norman side, but I like the tangy touch of fromage frais in the original recipe, which I missed here. My friends, on the other hand, loved it, so if, like Girlycooker, you're not a fan of cheesecake in general (or you like it but fancy a change), go for this recipe, which is less typical and stronger in flavor!
There's nothing too complicated about how to make this iced cheesecake. Start with the base, melting the butter and mixing with the broken cookies. Pack well into a springform pan (large version) or individual circles and bake for 10 minutes (be careful if you're making a family version, it's a real pain to unmould, so don't forget the baking paper). For the cream, simply whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, then add the stiffly beaten egg whites, the whipped cream and the beaten cream cheese (it's the whites and the whipped cream that give it that airy texture that dilutes the taste of the cheese a little), and if you like, add the chocolate shavings. All that's left to do is fill the mould or lined circles with the cookie base, and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Simply remove the iced cheesecake(s) half an hour before eating, and unmold with a blowtorch (or simply by removing the rim for hinged molds). Incidentally, I found this a little awkward. You really have to calculate carefully, because in the small version, the cake heats up very quickly (too late it's frozen, too early it's melted...). I found this less practical than the classic recipe, which can be taken out at any time and doesn't suffer from the delay.
Despite everything, I found this recipe a really nice change of pace, and I may do a chocolate version again.
And before you find the recipe to print out, let me announce... drum roll'... that Yaëlle H has been drawn to receive "Gâteau sans cuisson" from Marabout! Well done Yaëlle, you'll be able to try the chantilly again and make Mum a nice After Eight cake to celebrate!
And for the rest of you, you can buy the book for 7.99 euros!
Stracciatella-style iced cheesecake
Base
- 75 g soft butter
- 300 g chocolate cookies ((chocolate cookies for me))
Cheesecake maker
- 250g caster sugar
- 6 eggs
- 400 mL ml full-cream liquid
- 560 g cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 150 g dark or milk chocolate shavings ((I blended a bar in a food processor))
Chocolate sauce that won't congeal
- 250 mL water
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 160 g glucose ((or sweetening liquid such as honey))
- 75 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 55 g chopped dark chocolate
Base
- Line a springform tin with baking parchment. Blend the cookies in a food processor (or crush them with a fork) and add the melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom of the tin to make an even layer of cookies. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°.
Cream
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and whiten the sugar/yolk mixture for 7 to 10 minutes (the mixture should become frothy and double in volume). Whisk the egg whites until stiff. To book. In a 3rd bowl, whip the (very cold) liquid cream to make a stiff whipped cream and add the cream cheese and vanilla.
- Add the sugar/yolk mixture and stir until smooth. Gently fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Finally, add the chocolate shavings.
- Place the cream on the cooled cookie base and freeze for at least one night.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate sauce by whisking the water, sugar, glucose and cocoa powder over medium heat. When the mixture boils, add the grated chocolate and mix well. Let stand for a few hours before serving, to allow the mixture to thicken.
- Take the cheesecakes out 30 minutes before serving and generously cover with chocolate sauce!
Adapted from Girly cooker
