Rum mocha cheesecake

One of the more popular recipes in my rediscovered chocolate pudding and cake collection was this one for a rum mocha cheesecake.

Ingredients

Base:

• 225g plain digestive biscuits
• 50g walnut pieces, finely chopped
• 50g cocoa powder
• 50g unsalted butter

Filling:

• 175g plain chocolate
• 350g full-fat soft cream cheese
• 397g can sweetened condensed milk
• 4tsp coffee essence
• 2tbsp rum
• 2 tsp powdered gelatine

Decoration:

• 125g plain chocolate
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

Base:

1. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
2. Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until finely crumbled. (Or process them in a blender.) Place in a large bowl with the walnuts and cocoa powder. Mix well.
3. Gently melt the butter over a low heat, then pour over the biscuit mix and mix well.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Press the mixture firmly over the base and up the sides. The base should be slightly thicker than the sides. Chill for at least an hour.

Filling:

1. Beat the cheese, condensed milk, coffee essence and rum until smooth.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Sprinkle the gelatine over a tablespoon of water in a bowl. Leave for five minutes. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir well until the gelatine is totally dissolved. Cool slightly.
4. Combine the cheese mixture, warm chocolate and warm gelatine in a large bowl. Stir well.
5. Pour the filling into the base, level with a spatula and chill for several hours until set.
6. Carefully run a knife between the paper and the tin. Place a plate over the cheesecake and gently invert the tin, before removing it. Remove the bottom piece of baking parchment, then place a second plate gently on the cheesecake. Turn the cheesecake rightway up, remove the first plate and remove the baking parchment from the sides of the cheesecake.

Decoration:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
2. Pour the chocolate onto a wide, shallow, non-stick baking tray. Gently shake the try to make an even layer of chocolate.
3. Chill the chocolate until very firm. Invert the tray onto a a large, clean wooden chopping board and tap the base until the chocolate comes free.
4. Wearing thin plastic gloves, draw a clean, sharp cheese knife firmly across the chocolate block to make curls. To make chocolate fans, place the chocolate in a warm oven for a few seconds until it’s just pliable, then lightly use the cheese knife to skim the chocolate while using your free hand to shape the shavings into fan shapes.
5. Chill the curls or fans, then dust with cocoa powder and use to decorate the cheesecake.
6. Serve with whipped cream and coffee.