A Cheesecake Good Enough for New York

The search for South Africa’s best cheesecake recipe is open now until 28 February 2016. Challenge Accepted!

Judged by celebrity chefs Neill Anthony, Tina Bester and Zola Nene, the winner will be announced at a cake-off on 9 April in Cape Town where six finalists, each receiving a KitchenAid artisan mixer as gift, will compete for the title.

The grand prize is an all-expenses-paid trip for two to New York City worth R150 000…. all I’m saying is I already have a USA visa.

And the success of a good cheesecake comes down to ingredients. That’s why I use Lancewood, the number one natural cheese brand in South Africa. Oh and did you know they no offer full fat cream cheese (for a fully creamier flavor … for the cheat day but they still have fat free for every other day).

Well isn’t that just a treat. Now I want every one of you to accept the challenge and get baking … I know you have a secret recipe.

See my chocolate cheesecake … I prepared this for the Good Food and Wine Show demo last year, everyone in the room was ready to lick the plate

Chocolate Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

• I pack of ginger biscuits
• 65g butter, melted
• 100g good-quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 200g Lancewood Plain Full Fat Cream Cheese
• 400g ricotta
• 75g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 40g cocoa powder

For the Sauce:

• 125g good-quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 125ml double cream
• 15g butter

To Serve:

• chopped or grated chocolate
• cocoa powder, for dusting
• Cream

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
   2. Crush the biscuits into crumbs and place in a bowl.
   3. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs. Press into a 20cm springform cake tin to form the base.
   4. Place the chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water and melt, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
   5. Place the cream cheese, ricotta and caster sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth.
   6. Next add the eggs, then the cocoa powder and the melted chocolate.
   7. Spoon the mixture onto the base.
   8. Place the cake in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch.
   9. Allow it to cool in the tin.
   10. When it’s cool, turn it out of the tin and top with chopped or grated chocolate and a dusting of cocoa.
   11. For the sauce, place the chocolate and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
   12. When melted, whisk in the butter.
   13. The sauce must be prepared just before the cake is served – it can’t be reheated.
   14. Serve large slices with grated chocolate and a big spoonful of sauce and cream. Dust the edge of the plate with cocoa.

How decadant does that sound…. Delish!!!

I hope I have inspired you to enter, submit your own recipe along with a photograph of the Lancewood products you used to prepare your cheesecake to www.lancewoodcakeoff.co.za.

If you not a baker your more of a taster … can also stand a chance to win 1 of 4 KitchenAid Artisan Mixers to the value of R9 000 each by voting for your favourite recipe between the 1^st and 20^th of March.

Always remember

… Food Is Love …

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