Thursday, 11 June 2020

Chocolate and Orange Cheesecake



The latest discovery in the TD's weight-loss programme (at last count, down nearly 22.5 kilos, and a reduction of three trouser sizes since January!). This is a flourless cheesecake, which works as well with artificial sweetener as it does with sugar,and tastes rich and satisfying - and substantial - even while respecting the low/no carb rules. Highly to be recommended.

For one 8 inch cheesecake - serves 8.

Ingredients: 125g dark chocolate; 3 eggs, separated; 4 oz sugar, or 1 cup sweetener (I use Canderel 'Yellow', which is the name which what used to be called Splenda now goes under); 600g cream cheese; 90g mascarpone; grated zest of two oranges.

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Grease a spring-clip tin of the right size and line the base with greaseproof paper.

3. Melt the chocolate in a simmertopf or double boiler, and then allow to cool slightly

4. With the egg whites and half the sugar or sweetener, make a meringue (if using sweetener, beat the egg whites until stiff, and then beat in all of the sweetener in one go; if using sugar, beat the egg whites until they being to stiffen, and then gradually add the sugar as you continue to beat the egg whites to full stiffness).

5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar or sweetener, and then beat in the cream cheese and mascarpone until thoroughly mixed.

6. Add a third of the cream cheese mixture to the chocolate and mix in thoroughly.

7. Mix the orange zest into the remaining cream cheese mixture.

8. Fold two thirds of the meringue mixture into the cream cheese/orange mixture, and then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining third of meringue.

9. Use the chocolate mixture to make a layer in the base of the prepared tin, andthen carefully spread the orange mixture in a layer on top, making sure not to press the top layer too firmly down into the layer beneath.

10. Bake in the pre-heated  oven for one hour, and then leave in the oven with the heat off and the door ajar until the oven has cooled down.

The result is splendid!