The Chocolate Heart Attack

What is dark like Mama Africa, smoother than silk sheets and lethal like a woman’s stare?

The Chocolate Heart Attack.

No, it’s not its real name, but when I saw the afore known as Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake seize up on itself with the pure luxury of ingredient involved, the name couldn’t help but spring to mind.

So what is a Chocolate Heart Attack if not a frightfully appealing name? Where indulgence meets hedonism is a good starting point, that much is clear. But for this one, think a crushed down, crisped up chocolate wafer base topped with cream cheese seeped, churned and converted into a chocolate minefield mid, and finished with a half milk, half dark chocolate ganache top.

Oh yes, it’s the chocolate heart attack indeed.

But if there was one way to go, than this would be it.

I am always impressed by how effortlessly Americans team up loud flavours - peanut butter and chocolate, ranch dressing and pizza, or in this case, chocolate and cream cheese - and equally, delighted by the results… of course, in spite of the slow chugging of my heart and the better conscience of my waist (it, of all things, manifests a personality of its own, no matter what you tell it to do!)

It’s a particular skill in my book - loud - and one that I came to admire after living in Los Angeles for two years. Sure, it lacks all subtly - but damn, doesn’t it taste good! And really, while there’s a time and place for everything, isn’t this what food is all about?

An American boyfriend of 4 years- particularly one 6ft4inches tall and with an appetite only unparalleled by my own - can teach you a lot about this full-flavoured world. The finer qualities of a Costco hotdog over its competitors, for example, and the right way to apply your relish, onions and sauce to said hotdog for maximum smothered effect (which, may I add, are insights and skills I will carry with me forever on. Seriously, is there anything worse than a dry dog?)

And so it wasn’t long, in the cake department at least, that brownies studded with melted Snickers bars and layered Oreo Cream Pies, became, an albeit not daily, part of my repertoire.

I was a girl hence enlightened.
 
Upon my return home to Australia, when on the lookout for boisterous at its best, I now know where to begin my investigations. Just as I look to the French for finesse, Argentina for caramel and in my own backyard for natural and rustic, I look to the Americans for big and bold. 

So in search of an Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe for Not Quite Nigella’s challenge, a chocolate cake to take down all chocolate cakes, there really was only one person I could call for guaranteed success: Miss US of A.

And boy, did she deliver.

 

Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe has been adapted from one found in Bon Appetit. In Australia, I was hard pressed to find plain chocolate wafers, so I used Gaiety, a wafer with a thin chocolate coating. This addition of chocolate, once melted in the oven, produced a most pleasant crisp, extra chocolatey dimension in the base… Yes, a most pleasant addition.

Base
150g packet chocolate wafers
1 tablespoon caster sugar
60g butter, melted

Middle
300g dark chocolate*, chopped
1kg cream cheese, softened
1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons caster sugar
¼ cup cocoa
4 eggs
Top
¾ cup pouring cream
90g dark chocolate*, chopped
90g milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm springform pan and line the base with baking paper. Blend the wafers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the sugar and blend till combined. Add the melted butter and blend till well combined. Press the crumbs evenly on the base. Bake until just set, about 5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

For the middle, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Allow to cool - it is very important that it is room temperature, but still pourable otherwise the it will harden on contact with the cream cheese. Place the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you don’t have one big enough, use an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in the cooled chocolate. Pour the mixture over the base and smooth the top. Bake until the center is just set and the top appear just dry. Cool in the pan at room temperature. Transfer to fridge and chill overnight.

For the top, place the cream, chocolate and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and spread evenly. Chill in the fridge until the top is set, about 1 hour. Let it stand for 2 hours at room temperature before serving.

* For maximum heart attack effect, use 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate.

Tagged as: Cheesecake, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Food Blog Event, Recipe