Choc Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Finally I get to make this most divine yummyliciously rich cake... for my own birthday... I couldn't find anyone who was going to volunteer to make this particular cake for me... so I had to do so on my own... & it was most deliciously decadent...  :-)

Recipe from: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/01/19/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-cheesecake/

BTW, Check out Not Quite Nigella's website its totally awesome full of yummy goodies!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella (mousse adapted from Willow Bird Baking)

Ingredients:
Crust

• 2 packets x Arnotts Chocolate Ripple biscuits - crushed finely
• 100 g melted butter (approximated)
• 1 x large Cadbury's Flake milk chocolate flakes

Filling

• 750g Philadelphia Light cream cheese 
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup raw caster sugar
• 200g Kraft light smooth peanut butter
• 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp plus a pinch of sea salt

Mousse topping

• 1 tsp gelatin
• 1 cup Lactose-free thickened cream (or normal thickened or heavy cream)
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 50g cooking milk chocolate, chopped
• 10 Lindor peanut butter balls (bought from Lindt Cafe in Chadstone)
• 3 packets of Reese’s peanut butter cups (each contains 2 cups)

Method: 

Huge cake!

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and find a baking tray that will fit your 22cm - 25cm good quality springform tin in so that you can make a water bath for the cheesecake that goes halfway up the cake.

2. For the crust, mix the butter and biscuits and press up the sides of the springform tin. Sprinkle milk chocolate flakes on the bottom. Set aside in the refrigerator.

3. Put a kettleful of water on the boil.

4. For the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth.
5. Add eggs one at a time and the peanut butter and beat until smooth but do not overbeat. Mix in the chocolate chips.
6. Take out the biscuit base. Put 2 layers of foil around the tin to prevent any water from the water bath from getting in. It’s useful to have that wider foil for this task if you have it. I didn’t and it was still ok though.
7. Place cake tin in a deep baking dish and pour the cream cheese filling into the foil lined tin. Submerge the Lindor balls into the cheesecake.
8. Pour the boiling water from the kettle around the cheesecake so that it sits in a bath being careful not to splash any on the cheesecake itself.
9. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 1 1/4 hours although you may want to check at 1 hour. The outside should be set and the inside with a hint of wobble which will firm up in the fridge. Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack and when cold, place in the fridge overnight covered with clingfilm.

10. For chocolate mousse, dissolve the gelatin in a little bit of warm water.
11. In a saucepan over moderate heat, cook the cream until it bubbles around the edges.
12. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Temper the eggs by pouring about 1/2 cup hot cream into the egg yolks slowly while whisking vigorously.

13. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan of cream (whisking constantly) and add chocolate. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.

14. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin. Place mixture into a wide bowl to allow it to cool for a bit, then chill it for just a little while — not until set, but until it’s not so runny. Pour the mixture onto the top of the cheesecake and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

15. Decorate with chopped Reese’s cups, if desired.

Enjoy! Although a piece is enough for each  round... You'll be back for more the next day... it was most yummy!

Choc Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake