Hey everyone,

This is my first baking post of 2017 - I can't believe I'm saying that already! Today I thought I'd share with you a recipe for the best chocolate fudge cheesecake ever.

Ingredients:

1x 9inch cake tin

Cake:

75g of Plain Flour
25g of Cocoa Powder
40g of Ground Almonds
50g of Caster Sugar
50g of Golden Caster Sugar
85g of Melted Unsalted Butter

Filling:

850g of Cream Cheese
270g of Golden Caster Sugar
2 Medium Eggs
1 extra Egg Yolk
420ml of Whipping Cream
1 and 1/2 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
50g of Plain Flour
75g of Cocoa Powder

Glaze:

50g of Milk Chocolate
100g of Dark Chocolate
2 tsp. of Salted Butter
2 tbsp. of Golden Syrup
150ml of Double Cream
Cocoa Powder to dust

Preheat the oven to 170C/150 Fan/Gas Mark 3.

Combine all of the ingredients for cake in a bowl and spread evenly along the base of the tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Turn up the oven to 200C/180 Fan/Gas Mark 6. To make the filling, whiz together the cream cheese and sugar in a food processor. Then add the eggs, yolk, cream and vanilla extract, then sift in and fold the flour and cocoa. Carefully pour the mixture into the tin, on top of the base.

Bake the cheesecake in the oven for one hour, until slightly puffy around the edges. Turn off the oven, let out some of the air and prop open the oven door using a large spoon and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven. This should prevent cracks but don't worry if any do appear, the glaze will fill them anyway. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Run a knife around the  edge of the tin. Wrap the cheesecake in foil (DON'T USE CLINGFILM!!) and chill overnight.

To finish, break up and gently melt the chocolate with the butter and syrup in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Gradually stir in the cream a third at a time. Dust the rim of the cheesecake with cocoa powder. Pour the chocolate glaze into the crater in the middle of the cheesecake, then smooth into until an even layer within the rim. Return to the fridge for a few hours until set.

*Not my own recipe. This recipe was found in YOU magazine from the Mail on Sunday - Issue released 20th March 2016. Recipe by Annie Bell*

So, I hoped you enjoyed this post and if you recreate this recipe, make sure to let me know! Thank you so much for reading and I will see you very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxxx