Divine Chocolate Recipes for Chocolate Week

I was delighted to be sent some recipes from Divine Chocolate and be asked to publish them for Chocolate Week.  KitchenAid teamed up with Divine Chocolate to create the following delicious chocolate recipes: Creamy Cappuccino Cheesecake, The Ultimate Choc Chip Cookies and White Chocolate Cheesecake Cake.  All the recipes have been created by Linda Collister for the Divine Chocolate Cookbook.

Creamy Cappuccino Cheesecake

A really creamy and deeply flavoured cheesecake. The base is a dark chocolate mocha biscuit-crumb combination which contrasts with the coffee filling. Look out for Fairtrade instant coffee to flavour the filling and choose top quality full-fat cream cheese.

MAKES 1 LARGE CHEESECAKE THAT SERVES 8–12

For the base

1 x 100g bar Divine coffee chocolate

50g unsalted butter, diced

200g digestive biscuits

For the filling

500g best quality cream cheese

125g light muscovado sugar

50g caster sugar

2 rounded teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

1 tablespoon Kahlua (optional)

2 large free range eggs

To finish

Divine cocoa powder for dusting

23cm spring-clip tin, greased, set on a baking tray
 
Heat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.

To make the base: break up the chocolate and melt very gently with the butter in a large heatproof mixing bowl (see page 16). Remove the bowl from the heat and stir gently until smooth. Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs.

Tip the crumbs into the melted chocolate, mix well and then tip the mixture into the prepared tin. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of the tin and halfway up its sides. Chill until needed.

To make the filling: put the cream cheese, both sugars, dissolved coffee, Kahlua (if using) and the eggs into the bowl of a food processor and run the machine until the mixture is very smooth.

Pour the filling into the tin set on the baking tray. Bake in the heated oven for 40 minutes until just set, then turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven. When completely cold cover and chill overnight.

To serve, carefully unclip the tin and set the cheesecake on a serving plate. Dust heavily with cocoa.

Store, tightly covered, in the fridge and eat within 4 days.
 

The Ultimate Chocoalte Chip Cookies

Rather than using the usual supermarket chocolate drops, these cookies are made with proper chunks of lovely dark chocolate, plus extra cocoa and crunchy nuts. 

MAKES 18 LARGE COOKIES

1 x 100g bar Divine dark chocolate

100g walnut or pecan pieces

125g unsalted butter, soft

100g caster sugar

100g light muscovado sugar

1 large free range egg

220g plain flour

3 tablespoons Divine cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 non-stick baking trays, ungreased
 
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Break up the chocolate into squares and mix with the nuts. Set aside until needed.

Put the soft butter and the sugars into the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until soft and fluffy. Scrape down the sides then beat in the egg.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl. Mix well then stir in the chocolate squares and nuts.

Using a heaped tablespoon of mixture for each cookie, roll the mixture into balls then arrange them on the baking trays, flatten slightly with your fingers, spacing the cookies well apart to allow for spreading. Bake in the heated oven for about 12–15 minutes or until just firm, and then remove the trays from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 5 days or freeze for up to a month.


White Chocolate Cheesecake

MAKES 1 LARGE CHEESECAKE – SERVES 8–12

A dark chocolate crumb base topped with a rich and creamy white chocolate filling. The orange and lemon zests, along with the slight saltiness of the cream cheese give a real tang to avoid any cloying.
For the base

2 tablespoons Divine cocoa

75g unsalted butter, melted

150g digestives, crushed

50g caster sugar

For the filling

2 x 100g bars Divine white chocolate

3 tablespoons warm water

600g good quality cream cheese

75g caster sugar

grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed orange

grated zest and juice of 1/2 unwaxed lemon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 large free range eggs

To finish

Divine plain chocolate shavings or cocoa

23cm springclip tin, greased and base-lined, set on a baking tray

Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

Make the base first: mix the cocoa with the melted butter then stir in the biscuit crumbs and the sugar. When thoroughly combined tip the mixture into the tin and, using the back of a spoon, press firmly onto the base and about 2cm up the sides. Chill until needed.

Break up the white chocolate and melt gently with the water. Remove the bowl from the heat, stir gently and leave to cool until needed. Put the cream cheese, sugar, orange zest, lemon juice and zest, vanilla and eggs into the bowl of a food processor.

Run the machine until the mixture is very smooth, scraping down the sides from time to time. Add the melted chocolate and run the machine until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the chilled base, then set the tin (on the baking tray) into the heated oven and bake for 40 minutes. Once cooked turn off the oven but do not remove the cheesecake and leave to cool for an hour. Then remove the tin, leave to cool completely then cover and chill overnight.

When ready to serve, run a round-bladed knife inside the tin to loosen the cheesecake then unclip the tin. Decorate with plain chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 4 days.