As big as my addiction to cheesecake is, I decided not to go the whole hog this time. I had already made a chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake before, following the instructions emphatically. It was absolutely luscious but with it being so rich in texture and just a little too sweet for my liking, I thought I'd play around with the ingredient measurements.
I knew it was going to be a lovely bright afternoon so I got up early for my morning exercise and food shopping. Having those extra hours in my day helped towards the preparation time, cooling time, and taste time (6 hours in total) of this scrumptious cheesecake; oh, and the time to photograph while still in bright light outside. Wow, those extra hours in the morning pay off and this sweet snack between lunch and dinner paid off aswell.
I failed miserably at maths in school and there was a bit of calculating that needed to be done. By reducing the size of the original springform tin, I decided to not simply calculate the ratio of ingredients to fill the smaller tin but I reduced the measurements of each ingredient, hence it wasn't as dense. Mission accomplished, time for that late afternoon coffee treat.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cool Time: 4 hours minimum
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
150g digestive biscuits
2 tbsp butter
450g mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
160g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
175g chocolate chips
320g peanut butter
100g icing sugar
Instructions:
1. Butter the base of an 6-inch spring-form tin and line with a disc of baking paper.
2. Crush the biscuits in a freezer bag/plastic bag or simply throw them into an electric blender.
3. Melt the butter in a pan and add the crushed digestive biscuits. Stir to coat the biscuits with the melted butter. Remove from heat and press the butter and biscuit mix onto the base of the springform tin. Put in the fridge and leave to set for an hour.
4. Mix cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth.
5. Add powdered sugar and continue mixing until there are no lumps.
6. Melt the chocolate chips in a pot on low heat.
8. Pour the cream mixture over the biscuit base in the springform tin. Smooth top with spoon and refrigerator.
9. Mix peanut butter and icing sugar.
10. Pour over cheesecake in a springform tin. Use a spatula to smooth the top.
11. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.