Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

This New-York–style cheesecake is rich, creamy and made a little more decadent by swirls of melted dark chocolate. To cut through the richness, serve with fresh fruit compote. The American tradition is to top the cheesecake with blueberry compote, but one made with a mixture of berries or other soft, tart fruit will also work nicely.

Recipe Author:
Gordon Ramsay
Cooking for Friends
Photography by Ditte Isager
Reproduced courtesy of Harper Collins publishers & Sauce Communications

Publisher's Copyrighted Material

1. Preheat the oven to 170c / gas 3. Butter a 23cm round springform cake tin.
   
   1. Break the digestive biscuits into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor along with the almonds. Whiz to fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture comes together. Tip the mixture into the tin and press down with a spatula to form an even crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 – 15 minutes until golden.
2. Reduce the oven temperature 10 140c / gas 1
3. 2. Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth, then remove from the heat.
   
   3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the rest of the ingredients using a hand-held electric beater. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the cake tin and tap the tin gently to level the mixture and remove any large air bubbles. Swirl the melted dark chocolate on top.
4. 4. Bake for about 30 minutes until the filling is set round the sides but the center is still wobbly when you shake the pan. Turn off the heat and leave to cool slowly in the oven, preferably overnight. The cheesecake filling continues to set as it cools, and taking it out of the oven too soon may cause it to crack.
5. Take the cheesecake out of the springform tin and slide on to a serving plate or cake stand. Best served chilled.