Creamy cappuccino cheesecake recipe

Creamy cappuccino cheesecake is a boozy Italian-style chocolate cheesecake with an easy crushed-biscuit base that can easily be made the night before, for a fuss-free dinner party dessert the day after. For a grown-up dessert that features both coffee and alcohol, this is a real hit with adults as it's super indulgent, but you might want to keep it away from the little ones! Featuring dark chocolate, it's got really dark flavours which come together in a really delicious creamy cheesecake that's perfect for a special occaison - it can even work great for a birthday, if you're making it for a real coffee lover.

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1 x 100g bar coffee chocolate, like Divine
• 50g unsalted butter, diced
• 200g digestive biscuits

For the filling:

• 500g best quality cream cheese
• 125g light muscovado sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 rounded tsp instant
• Coffee dissolved in 1tbsp hot water
• 1tbsp Kahlua (optional)
• 2 large free range eggs

To finish:

• Divine cocoa powder for dusting
• 23cm spring-clip tin, greased, set

You'll also need:

• A baking tray

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
2. To make the base: break up the chocolate and melt very gently with the butter in a large heatproof mixing bowl. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Pour the filling into the tin set on the baking tray. Bake in the heated oven for 40 mins until just set, then turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven. When completely cold cover and chill overnight.
6. To serve: Carefully unclip the tin and set the cheesecake on a serving plate. Dust heavily with cocoa.
7. Store, tightly covered, in the fridge and eat within 4 days.