New Improved Chocolate Cheesecake

I always try to make necessity into an opportunity and a new version of this recipe came about because I can’t get hold of the Cremovita whippable soya cream any more. My suppliers tell me it’s been withdrawn. How true this is, I don’t know, but the fact remains that I can’t get hold of it. So… here is the new ( and yes, I think it is also improved) version. It’s simpler than the old one, sets just as well and tastes extremely good. It’s also easier to get the essential velvety smooth texture which cheesecake just has to have. This remains simple enough to make in a tent as long as you have a small fridge.

For this recipe you will need: 2 bowls (at least 1 glass one for the bain marie); a rolling pin/empty bottle to crush biscuits (or you can use a food processor if you’re feeling sophisticated); a jug for the agar; a whisk (hand or electric as you wish); a 9″/23cm springform tin; a palette knife.

New Improved Chocolate Cheesecake

 An updated and improved version of an old favourite

Ingredients

  • 2 boxes Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese
  • 1 box Alpro Dairy Free Custard
  • 3 tbsps icing sugar
  • 9oz/255g Kinnerton’s chocolate
  • 1 packet agar/gelatine powder
  • 14oz/400g Rich Tea biscuits
  • 5oz /145g Tomor
  • 2 ½tbsps cocoa powder

Method

  1. Melt the Tomor.
  2. Crush the biscuits to an even, fine sand-like consistency.
  3. Mix the two until your “sand” looks evenly damp  and stir in the cocoa.
  4. Press into base of the the tin and chill until solid (at least two hours).
  5. Smash up the chocolate by bashing the UNOPENED packets against the edge of a table/worktop. (Mind your knuckles. Personal experience says it’s very easy to take your eye off what you’re doing and slam your knuckles into the worktop instead of just the chocolate. Not good.)
  6. Melt it in a bain marie, being very careful not to let the water boil or the bowl touch the water
  7. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then beat in the custard, followed by the icing sugar.
  8. Make up the gelatine/agar according to the instructions on the packet, then stir it into the melted chocolate, being careful to get it really smooth.
  9. Stir the chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Try to do this bit smoothly, but fairly swiftly as the gelatine/agar will start to set as it cools down.
  10. Pour all of the gorgeous chocolatey creaminess onto the base, smooth out the surface and then chill for at least four hours, but I usually leave it overnight.
  11. Lick out the bowl! (Optional, of course, but all the best chefs say you shouldn’t serve something you haven’t tasted.)
  12. When you want to serve the finished cheesecake, run a flexible palette knife CAREFULLY round the edge, right down to the base, then ease open the springform tin (while mentally offering up a prayer to the deity of your choice), and slide the ring up. Then comes the really fun bit. You now need to ease your palette knife under the base, wiggle it round sideways and encourage the cheesecake to slide off the base and onto a flat plate. Ta Daa!
  13. Decorate with chocolate squiggles, and/or curls, raspberries (superb, but only if being eaten immediately: raspberries go fluffy/soggy within 24hrs) or anything else your inventiveness can come up with.

Quick Notes

This makes a beautiful centrepiece for a dessert buffet

Preparation time: 10 mins plus chilling time for the base, 20 mins plus chilling time for the filling

Diet type: Dairy-free

Number of servings (yield): 12+

Copyright © Sian Mackey.
Recipe by Sian Mackey.

 

2 comments to New Improved Chocolate Cheesecake

  • Emma

    Hi, this sounds awesome, I’m in the uk though, any idea what I can substitute the cheese with….

    Thanks all

  • Hi Emma,

    We’re in the UK too. The Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese is soya based and available from all good health food shops.

    I hope you find a source near you so that you can enjoy the cheesecake.

    Regards,

    Sian

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