Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Somehow, almost a whole month has passed since I last posted a recipe, which is admitedly quite a while although not something I will apologise for (although I do sort of apologise for the picture; I forgot to take one prior to cutting). The past month has yielded some of the most important events in any teenager's life, and in fact in any adult's. The last few weeks of highschool came about, with both the obligatory tears and the outpouring of sentimental emotion. The grade's Facebook page was almost unrecognisable, the usual sporadic posts about homework help and assingments replaced with long, thoughtful and heartfelt messages filled with the realisation that six years of schooling together has come to an end. It's a strange thing to finally be a high school graduate, but it's inevitable that we too would eventually be exposed to the big, wide world. While it is definitely sad to be leaving behind something which became such a large part of us (whether we liked it or not!), we must keep in mind that there is so much more ahead of each and every one of us, and that the memories we created will never be lost. Also, we have a HSC to focus on! (She says as she blogs about cake).

Graduation aside, I also had my eighteenth birthday a few weeks ago. Celebrated with a bunch of my favourite people and continuing into the night with a small yet enjoyable sleepover, the day marked my transition into adulthood. I know everybody says it, but I honestly do not feel anywhere near that old! I still remember the day my (now 20, soon to be 21) year old brother turned eighteen, and he seemed so much.... older. I'm aware that this is something said mainly by middle-aged women trying to cling onto their last shreds of youth, but you are only as old as you feel! I suppose that voting responsibilites and legal standing aside, I won't truly feel like an adult for many years (or at least until uni starts!)

Now onto the actual baking bit! (I should've put a disclaimer at the start so people could just skip to the baking bits). I baked a variety of desserts for my birthday party, including this cheesecake which I have had my eye on for quite a while. It comes from Nigella Lawson and, although I feared this wouldn't turn out well, I decided to give it a try since my attempts at her Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake yielded such wonderful results.
Using what I think of as one of the best combinations ever, this cheesecake tasted amazing even before being baked, and came out of the oven retaining the same quality. It also wasn't all that hard to make, which is always, always a plus.

My only issue was with the base. Nigella favours digestive biscuits for her cheesecake bases, which I have no problem with, but I also followed her addition of chocolate and peanuts to it. I couldn't taste the chocolate at all so it seemed redundant, and the peanuts made the base rather oily. Next time I make this, I'll definitely stick with just the biscuits. I think I might just take this opportunity to talk about how great digestives are! They sound unpleasant but the fact they are sweet but not overly so make them very enjoyable to eat, and a perfect balance for the rich and decadent cheesecake filling/topping.

Although some family members had reservations about the peanut butter and chocolate combination (I sincerely believe age has diminished their tastebuds!), this cheesecake gained positive comments, including one which I am sure is aimed as a compliment but translates as something accidentally insulting ("It was so good, I had difficulty believing you made it!). However I do think my favourite one was being asked by a friend if I'd marry him and bake him this cheesecake every day, whilst I was seated between both his girlfriend and my own boyfriend. Good times.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake (adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe)

For the base

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 50g salted peanuts
• 100g dark chocolate chips
• 50g soft unsalted butter

For the filling

• 500g cream cheese, softened
• 3 medium eggs
• 3 medium egg yolks
• 200g caster sugar
• 125mL sour cream
• 250g smooth or crunchy peanut butter

For the topping 

• 150mL sour cream
• 50g milk chocolate chips
• 30g soft light brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius and grease and line (only line the bottom) a 20cm springform tin.
2.  Place the ingredients for the base into a food processor and process until fine and mixture starts to clump together.
3. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with the mixture, pressing down with the back of a spoon to ensure a smooth surface. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
4. Wipe the inside of the food processor until clean and fill with the ingredients for the filling.
5. Process on medium speed for thirty seconds or so, until the mixture is smooth, thick and glossy. If you have lumps in the mixture from the cream cheese, process for a few more seconds. This will get rid of some extra lumps, but any small remainders won't hurt the cake.
6. Use a rubber spatula to pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
7. Cook for approximately fifty minutes, or until the top of the cake is set and dry to the touch (the middle will still be a little wobbly).
8. Take the cake out of the oven (leave it on) and prepare the topping by melting the brown sugar, chocolate and sour cream on a saucepan over a low heat. Stir constantly until melted and combined.
9. Allow to cool for about a minute, before gently spooning topping over the cheesecake. 
10. Put cake back into the oven for ten minutes. 
11. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, allow it it cool completely in its tin.
12. Cover with plastic wrap (I then put the tin into a plastic bag to ensure it was well covered) and leave in the fridge to set overnight.
13. When the cake is to be served, remove it from the fridge (only for a few minutes; you don't want it to start melting) and cut with a sharp knife. Smaller slices are advised as it's quite rich!