Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

210g cream-filled biscuit (cookie) crumbs (about 18 biscuits)
2 tbsp butter, melted
950g cream cheese, softened (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
250g sugar
3 large eggs
240ml sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
180g dark chocolate, chopped, melted and allowed to cool slightly
80ml strained raspberry preserves
180g dark chocolate, chopped
60ml whipping cream

To Serve:
Whipping cream, whipped
fresh raspberries
mint sprigs

Method:

Crush the biscuits (and their filling) very finely then combine in a bowl with the butter. Stir thoroughly to combine then press into the base of a 22cm diameter springform cake tin.

Beat 720g of the cream cheese until smooth then add the sugar and beat until thoroughly blended. Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla extract then pour the mixture over the biscuit crust.

Combine the remaining cream cheese and the melted chocolate, beating until well blended. Add the raspberry preserves and beat thoroughly then drop rounded tablespoons of the chocolate and raspberry mix over the plain cream cheese filling. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C and bake for about 80 minutes. Remove from the oven then loosen the cake from the rim of the pan but allow to cool completely before removing the pan rim.

Now melt the remaining chocolate with the whipping cream in a bain-marie (double boiler) until smooth. Allow to col slightly then spread over the cheesecake. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool then garnish with whipping cream, raspberries and fresh mint leaves before serving.