-FOR THE BASE-
100 g Chilled butter; (4 oz)
150 g Flour; (5 oz)
25 g Icing sugar; (1 oz)
A few drops of vanilla
-essence
FOR THE FILLING
225 g Cream cheese; (8 oz)
225 g Soft light brown sugar; (8
-oz)
A few drops of vanilla
-essence
50 g Cocoa; (2 oz)
4 lg Eggs
Sieved icing sugar; to
-finish
To make the base, whizz all the ingredients for the base together in a food
processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, cut the
butter into the flour and icing sugar with a knife, then rub in with your
fingertips until it reaches the breadcrumb stage. Press this mixture round
the base of a 20-22.5 cm (8-9 inch) flan dish. Chill the flan in the fridge
for 30 minutes then bake in the oven pre-heated to 180 deg C (350 deg F/Gas
Mark 4), or the bottom right oven of a four-door Aga, for 25-30 minutes,
until the pastry is pale golden brown. Remove from the oven, and leave to
cool while you make the filling. Put the cream cheese into a blender or
food processor and whizz, gradually adding the sugar, then the vanilla
essence, cocoa, 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks. Blend until smooth.
Alternatively, mix all the ingredients very thoroughly in a bowl. Whisk the
remaining 2 egg whites until they are stiff, and, using a large metal
spoon, fold them quickly and thoroughly through the chocolate mixture. Pour
into the cooked pastry shell, and bake in the oven pre-heated to 180?C
(350?F/Gas Mark 4), or the bottom right oven of a four-door Aga, for 35-40
minutes, until set. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
(From Lady Macdonald’s Chocolate Book)
You can eat this cheesecake cold, but it is much nicer hot – it keeps warm
very satisfactorily for 20 minutes or so in a low oven.
Yields
1 servings