Chocolate cheesecake & a chance to win a copy of Scrumptious

One of SA’s food blogging leading ladies, Jane-Anne Hobbs, has just launched her first book, Scrumptious. An inspiration to many who long to spend their days writing, cooking, styling and photographing food, it’s packed with over 90 triple-tested recipes.

Read on for Jane-Anne’s recipe for hazelnut and chocolate cheesecake and a chance to win yourself a signed copy.

Jane-Anne’s recipe for hazelnut and chocolate cheesecake

A chocolatey, nutty biscuit base, a dash of nutty liqueur and a topping of scribbled dark chocolate give this easy unbaked cheesecake a decadent touch.

For the biscuit base
5 Tbsp (75 ml) whole hazelnuts, plus extra for decorating
1 x 200 g packet chocolate digestive biscuits
6 Tbsp (90 ml/90 g) very soft butter

For the cheesecake
4 tsp (20 ml) powdered gelatine
1/4 cup (60 ml) tepid water
2 x 250 g tubs full-fat cream cheese
1 cup (250 ml) caster sugar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Frangelico hazelnut liqueur or a similar liqueur of your choice
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (250 ml) or 1 x 250 ml tub fresh cream

For the topping
75 g dark chocolate (75% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

Put the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan and toss for a few minutes over medium heat, or until lightly toasted. Wrap the nuts in a clean tea towel and rub them between your hands to remove the skins (don’t worry if bits of skin remain here and there). Break up the biscuits and place them, with the cooled hazelnuts, in a food processor. Whizz to coarse crumbs, but don’t over-process, which will make the chocolate sticky and the nuts oily. Place in a bowl, add the soft butter and stir well to combine. Press the mixture evenly onto the base of a non-stick 24-cm springform cake pan lined with clingfilm. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Sponge the gelatine in the water, then melt it. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Combine the cream cheese, caster sugar and hazelnut liqueur in a large bowl and whisk for 1 minute until smooth. Cut the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the black seeds and add them to the bowl. Stir in the warm gelatine mixture. Whip the cream in a separate bowl until it forms soft peaks. Very gently fold the cream into the cheese mixture, pour the mixture into the cake pan and chill for 4-6 hours, or until firm.

For the topping, melt the broken-up chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Place in a small piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle and scribble it all over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has set. Carefully release the cake from the pan, slice into portions and serve with some extra toasted hazelnuts.

Makes one 24-cm cake; serves 8.

Download print-friendly recipe.

WIN a signed copy of this gem

Food cooked with love, sincerity and patience is Jane-Anne’s highest priority plus, of course, food that brings a smile to the faces of those she serves it to (read our full interview with Jane-Anne here). To stand a chance of winning a signed copy of Scrumptious, post a comment below or on facebook telling us your own favourite dish that never fails to win hearts. Entries close at midnight on 26th July 2012.

Read our full interview with Jane-Anne Hobbs.
Take a wander over to Jane-Anne’s blog, Scrumptious.
Buy a copy of the new book on Yuppiechef.com