CHOCOLATE

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Millionaire’s Cheesecake (Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake)

The perfect cheesecake with three layers of pure deliciousness.

•  Prep Time 30 minutes
•  Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
•  Cooling Time 2 hours 30 minutes
•  Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
•  Servings 14
•  Calories 478 kcal

Ingredients

Shortbread Biscuit Base

• 250 g Shortbread biscuits
• 70 g (5 Tbsp) Salted butter, melted
• ¼ tsp Salt

Caramel Filling

• 650 g (2 ⅔ Cup) Full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 100 g (½ Cup) Light brown sugar, sifted
• 48 g (¼ Cup) Dark brown sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbsp Plain flour
• 120 g (½ Cup) Sour cream, room temperature
• 400 g (1 ¾ Cup) Caramel sauce (dulce de leche), room temperature
• 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
• 3 Large eggs, room temperature
• Chocolate Ganache Topping
• 120 ml (½ Cup) Double cream
• 75 g (5.2 oz) Milk or dark chocolate

Instructions

Base

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a 9-inch springform tin with parchment paper.
2. Add shortbread biscuits into a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and salt to the bag then give it a good shake until the butter evenly saturates the crumbs. Alternatively, you can make the biscuit crumbs using a food processor.
3. Press the shortbread base tightly into your springform tin and bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Turn your oven down to 150 C (300 F) and set the base aside to cool.

Filling

1. Add the room temperature cream cheese to a bowl and use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat it until soft and creamy. This will take approximately 1 minute. (For hand mixers – use the beaters attachment. For stand mixers – use the paddle attachment)
2. Sift the light and dark brown sugar into another bowl then add the flour and mix. Add the flour-sugar mix to the softened cream cheese. Turn the mixer to a medium speed and whisk until combined. Scrape the edges and fold the filling using a silicone spatula.
3. While the mixer is still running add the sour cream, vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of caramel sauce to the filling then whisk until combined. Now add the eggs, one at a time and whisk. Once the first egg is fully incorporated, add the second egg. Repeat the process with the final egg and stop as soon as a smooth, creamy batter forms.
4. Add ⅓ of the cheesecake filling to your springform tin and spread it evenly over the biscuit base. Scoop half of the remaining caramel sauce in spoonfuls throughout the base then spread another ⅓ of cream cheese filling over the caramel sauce. Add the remaining caramel sauce then spread over the last bit of cream cheese filling. In this order: ⅓ filling > ½ caramel sauce > ⅓ filling > ½ caramel sauce > ⅓ filling.
5. Tap the springform tin against your kitchen surface several times to allow any large air bubbles trapped inside the filling to rise to the top.
6. Place the cheesecake in either a larger baking tin or wrap the base and sides with a large sheet or foil. It should be watertight. Position a large oven tray in the middle of your oven then fill it with water. Place the sealed cheesecake into the water bath.
7. Bake the cheesecake for 75 – 90 minutes. It'll be done when the middle jiggles slightly and the edges are puffed. Crack the oven door open halfway and allow the cheesecake to cool gradually in the oven for another hour. Now place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to cool completely for at least 1 hour or overnight then carefully remove it from the springform tin.

Topping

1. Add the double cream and chocolate to a saucepan and simmer on a low heat whilst mixing until the chocolate melts. Transfer the ganache to a bowl and allow it to sit for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature then spread it on top of the cheesecake.
2. Place the cheesecake back in the refrigerator to set for another 30 minutes. Enjoy!

And as always have a chilled day from the viking