Glam Up Movie Night With Chocolate and Vanilla Brûlée Cheesecake

Have a small kitchen torch and the ingredients below? Then you’re all set to try this easy chocolate and vanilla brûlée cheesecake recipe.

Chocolate and Vanilla Brûlée Cheesecake

Makes one 8-inch (20 cm) cheesecake

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookie Crust

• 14 ounces (400 g) chocolate cookie
• wafers
• 6 tablespoons (90 mL) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (175 mL) unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Filling

• 2 cups (500 mL) plain cream cheese, softened
• 12 ounces (340 g) full-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 cup (250 mL) + 3 tablespoons (45 mL) granulated sugar, divided
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract, divided
• 7 ounces (200 g) good-quality semisweet chocolate, melted
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (2 L) springform pan.
2. Make the chocolate cookie crust: Pulse the wafers in a food processer until they turn to fine crumbs. Place the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl and stir to combine. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and up the sides to reach the rim. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to keep the inside edge nice and square. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes, until firm.
3. Make the cream cheese filling: Place the cream cheese, ricotta, and 1 cup (250 mL) of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the vanilla and process until smooth. Transfer two-thirds of the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining mixture in the food processor and process until well combined. Pour the chocolate filling over the chilled cookie crust.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of vanilla and the cornstarch. Add the mixture to the reserved filling and stir with a spatula until combined. Gently spoon the vanilla filling over the chocolate filling in the pan. Use the back of a spoon to smooth it into an even layer.
5. Bake for about 55 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre jiggles only slightly when you move the pan. Turn off the oven. Let the cheesecake rest inside the hot oven, with the door closed, for 20 minutes to set completely. Remove from the oven and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover the cheesecake in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours.
6. To brûlée the top of the cheesecake, evenly sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of sugar overtop. Just before serving, use a small kitchen torch to scorch the sugar, making sure to brown all of it so that no patches of granulated sugar remain.
7. Store leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tip: It is best to brûlée the cheesecake right before serving because the brûléed sugar will soften the longer it sits, and you will not get the characteristic brûlée crack when you cut into it with your fork.

Excerpted from Earth to Table Bakes by Bettina Schormann and Erin Schiestel. Copyright © 2021 Bettina Schormann and Erin Schiestel. Photography © 2021 Maya Visnyei Photography. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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