Vanilla Cheesecake With Chocolate Hazelnut Crust and Raspberries

Ingredients

CRUST

• 80 g margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1/3 cup hazelnut, roasted, skins removed, chopped coarsely

FILLING

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 250 g cream cheese, softened
• 500 g ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 200 g milk chocolate, chopped coarsely

RASPBERRY SWIRL

• 2/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• ice cream, to serve if desired

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 24cm springform tin and line its base with baking paper (cut to fit).

2. 2

   Combine the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and press mixture over the base of the prepared tin ensuring you don't miss and gaps.

3. 3

   Refrigerate for 20 minutes and then bake base in the oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 150°C (130°C fan-forced).

4. 4

   For the filling, beat cream cheese, ricotta, vanilla extract, half the sugar and juice in a large bowl with an electric mixer until just combined (do not over-beat).

5. 5

   Combine the remaining sugar and eggs in a separate bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes on high speed or until thick and creamy.

6. 6

   Gently fold egg mixture into cheese mixture. Scatter chocolate over the cheesecake base and then pour filling over.

7. 7

   To make the raspberry swirl combine raspberries and icing sugar in a small bowl whilst crushing raspberries with a fork. Press raspberry mixture though a fine sieve and then discard seeds. Drizzle raspberry sauce over filling in circles starting from the centre and increasing in size so that the top of the cheesecake looks like a target.

8. 8

   Using a skewer, start from the outside and drag lines across the top of the cheesecake to the centre. Repeat from various intervals along the outside circle of raspberry sauce until the top of the looks like a spider web.

9. 9

   Bake in a the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake in oven with door ajar for at least 2 hours and then refrigerate overnight.

10. 10

    Serve with ice-cream if desired.