Double Chocolate Cheesecake

I promised you this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I shall deliver! My brother actually made this for me for my birthday. As you can imagine I make A LOT of sponge, so when it came to my birthday it was really the last thing I wanted to eat, so I asked for a cheesecake! And I have to say without a doubt this is the best cheesecake I have ever eaten. Definite Nom!

I love cheesecake - a ridiculous amount and if it wasn't so calorific I would eat it everyday without question. So words cannot explain how happy I was to get this on my birthday, I cut myself a mahoosive piece and another one later in the evening and it wasn't too long until we had demolished it, I don't think it survived the week.

He got the recipe from BBC Good Food an adapted it a little so I'll mention where and what he swapped.

Ingredients

FOR THE BISCUIT CRUST

• 85g hot melted butter , plus a little extra for greasing
• 14 plain chocolate digestives, finely crushed (he used half Bourbon biscuits)

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

• 3 x 300g packs full-fat Philadelphia cheese , at room temperature (changed for one third mascapone and two thirds cream cheese)
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 4 tbsp cocoa , sifted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp Tia Maria (changed for a shot of espresso -which I thought I'd hate but loved as didn't get just pure coffee through)
• 3 large eggs
• 284ml pot soured cream (didn't include)
• 100g bar dark coffee chocolate , melted (changed for Green & Blacks milk chocolate)
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 284ml pot double cream
• chocolate curls to decorate (optional, see Tip below) 

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line the base of a 25cm springform tin with baking parchment. Mix the melted butter and biscuit crumbs until well blended, then press firmly onto the base of the tin. Bake for 10 mins.
2. Turn oven temperature up to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9. Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy, then whisk in the cocoa, vanilla, Tia Maria, eggs, soured cream and half the melted chocolate. Stir enough milk into the remaining chocolate to make a sauce consistency, then set aside until ready to decorate the cheesecake.
3. Put a little melted butter on some kitchen paper and use it to butter the sides of the cake tin. Pour in the cheese mixture, then smooth the top. Bake for 10 mins, then turn the heat down to 110C/fan 90C/gas ¼ for 25-30 mins. The filling should be set, but with a wobble in the centre. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, then leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 2 hrs. Chill until ready to serve.
4. To decorate the cheesecake, carefully remove it from the tin and strip the lining paper from the base. Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then swirl it on top and drizzle with the reserved chocolate sauce, rippling the sauce through the cream with the end of a spoon. Serve as is or pile with chocolate curls, if you've made them. 
5. Eat! Nom!

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