My Annual Cheesecake

I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and for my birthday that means cheesecake.  Some years my mom (or someone else) has made one, some years we've bought one, and some years I've made my own.  Because a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do! Especially when cheesecake is on the line.

This was one of those years.

I couldn't decide between plain cheesecake with berry sauce or a more decadent chocolate cheesecake. In the end I decided to take my usual plain cheesecake and swirl it with chocolate.

It smells amazing.

And based on the taste of the batter (which you shouldn't eat due to the raw eggs...I know, I know), it tastes pretty amazing too.

Charisa's Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup graham crumbs
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar

Cake
3 packages cream cheese (250g each)
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

4 oz dark chcoolate
2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Topping
3/4 cup whipping cream
4 oz semisweet or dark chocolate
2-3 tsp honey, to taste

pinch salt

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine crust ingredients.  Press into 9" springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool. Turn oven to 425 degrees.

Melt 4 oz chocolate on low heat and set aside to cool slightly (must still be runny).

Soften cream cheese in a large bowl and add sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix to combine.

Pour half mixture into cooled crust.  To the other half add melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Combine.  Pour into crust on top of plain batter and run a knife through gently to swirl.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 250 degrees and continue baking another 45 minutes or until centre of the cake is firm to the touch.

Let cool at room temperature. Once cooled, store in fridge until you top it - at least two hours prior to serving.

Combine whipping cream, chocolate, honey, salt in a medium pot over low heat. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.  Pour over centre of the cake to fill any cracks, and spread to within 1/2" of edge. Chill until topping is set, about 1 hour.

Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Adapted in part from Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Oh, and happy birthday to me! ;)