Chocolate orange cheesecake

It’s almost unfair that this delicious cheesecake sits so far back in the archives of my blog. I baked it shortly after launching the site and still come back to it from time to time. Chocolate orange cheesecake remains my favourite chocolate cheesecake. I add plenty of freshly grated orange zest, giving it the flavour of a Cadbury chocolate orange. It’s rich, velvety, intensely chocolatey and simply melts in your mouth. The recipe makes a relatively small cheesecake, using a 20 cm springform tin, but it’s more than enough to brighten anyone’s day! The original recipe uses Philadelphia cream cheese, though I often substitute it with Polish curd cheese because I love the flavour just as much.

Ingredients for the biscuit base:

• 125 g digestive biscuits
• 40 g toasted almonds, finely chopped
• 60 g butter, melted

Place the biscuits, almonds and melted butter into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles wet sand. Alternatively, crush the biscuits in a sturdy food bag with a rolling pin, then mix with the melted butter and finely chopped (or ground) almonds.

Line the base of a 20 cm springform tin with baking parchment (I baked mine in a 23 cm tin, which is why the cheesecake pictured is lower). Press the crumb mixture firmly into the base and chill for 30 minutes.

Wrap the outside of the tin twice with aluminium foil, as the cheesecake will be baked in a water bath.

Ingredients for the cheesecake filling:

• 500 g full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese (or full-fat curd cheese, finely ground three times)
• 115 g caster sugar
• 125 g dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large eggs
• 250 ml double cream
• finely grated zest of 1 orange

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the cream cheese (or curd cheese), sugar, eggs, double cream and orange zest into the bowl of a mixer. Add the melted chocolate and mix briefly until smooth and fully combined. Avoid overmixing. Pour the filling over the chilled biscuit base.

Bake in a water bath at 160°C for 70–80 minutes, or until the surface is set when lightly touched. If necessary, bake for a few minutes longer. Remove from the oven, leave to cool completely, then refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight before decorating and serving.

Decorate as desired.

How to bake a cheesecake in a water bath:

Place the wrapped springform tin inside a larger roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Pour boiling water into the outer tin until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake tin. The steam created during baking keeps the oven humid, allowing the cheesecake to bake evenly, preventing cracks and giving it an exceptionally smooth and creamy texture.

Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration: Adapted from a recipe shared by Cipcipkurka on Galeria Potraw.