The ultimate chocolate cheesecake

Chocolatier Kees Raat shares more than 150 recipes in his Chocolate Bible. From classics such as brownies and chocolate truffles to new recipes such as Oreo cookies and chocolate croquettes. 

When we think of winter, we think of spending long days in the kitchen baking. And when chocolate is involved, winter becomes just that little bit more pleasant.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 165 °C.

2. Line the base of a springform tin (24 centimetres Ø) with baking paper and grease the inside of the ring. Place the ring on the base and trim off the excess paper.

3. Using a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and pale on medium speed. Set the mixer to its lowest speed and add the egg, flour, baking powder, melted chocolate and salt. Mix until everything is incorporated and a smooth mixture has formed. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

4. For the filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl with a spatula. Stir in the egg.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and pour the filling over the base. Spread out the filling, otherwise the base may become misshapen. Bake the cake in the oven for another 50 minutes. After baking, let the cake cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

6. In the meantime, make the ganache. Remove the cake from the tin and place it on the rack. Pour the ganache over the cake and smooth it with a cake icing spatula.

7. Make a small paper piping cornet and fill it with the melted white chocolate. Snip off the tip so that a thin line comes out. About 2 centimetres from the outer edge, make circles that gradually become smaller as you move towards the centre of the cake, using circular movements. Try to do this with as few interruptions as possible.

8. Take a small knife and draw lines from the centre of the cake towards the edge with the tip of the knife, causing the white chocolate to run into the dark chocolate. Make 12 or more lines to create a kind of spider web.

Title: Chocolate Bible
Author: Kees Raat
Publisher: Carrera
Price: € 31.99