Nigella's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake.

Please excuse the look of this cheesecake. It may look a little rough around the edges, but believe me, what it lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in taste. 

Here at the Bravington Kitchen, things have been very hectic and festive. We had our house Christmas dinner last night and we may have indulged slightly (this is a complete lie, there's nothing 'slightly' about a four course dessert, a vomitoria was almost required). I've included some pictures of the festivities below for your enjoyment (or not). 

So, all this festive indulgence got me thinking about my favourite recipe for a Christmas treat. 

This peanut butter & chocolate cheesecake just hits the spot. Perfectly rich, indulgent and has that comforting claggy texture of something utterly naughty. The mixture of sour cream and chocolate in the topping is delicious as it is easy and covers a multitude of sins, if like me, you are impatient in taking it from the tin too soon and the top cracks. This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's Kitchen, one of my go-to cook books. 

My song of the week this week is the beautiful and talented Jessie Ware- Tough Love

Ingredients

for the base

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

for the filling

• 500 grams cream cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 125 ml sour cream
• 250 grams smooth peanut butter

for the topping

• 250 ml sour cream
• 100 grams milk chocolate chips
• 30 grams soft light brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325°F.
2. Then process the biscuits, peanuts, dark chocolate chips and butter for the base in a food processor.
3. Once it comes together in a clump, turn it out into a 23cm / 9inch springform tin and press into the bottom and up the sides to make the crunchy crust.
4. Put in the fridge while you make the filling.
5. Process the filling in the cleaned or wiped-out processor bowl, putting in the cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks, sugar, sour cream and peanut butter and whizzing to a smooth mixture.
6. Pour and scrape the filling into the base in the chilled springform tin and cook for 1 hour, though check after 50 minutes. The top – only – should feel set and dry.
7. Take the cheesecake out of the oven while you make the topping.
8. Warm the sour cream and chocolate with the brown sugar gently in a small saucepan over a low heat, whisking to blend in the chocolate as it melts, and then take off the heat.
9. Spoon and spread the topping very gently over the top of the cheesecake, being as careful as you can in case you break the surface of the cheesecake. (not that anything bad will happen; you’ll just have chocolate marbling the cake a bit.)
10. Put it in the oven for a final 10 minutes.
11. Once out of the oven, let the cheesecake cool in its tin and then cover and put into the fridge overnight.
12. When you are ready to eat the cheesecake, take it out of the fridge, just to take the chill off: this will make it easier to spring from the tin. don’t let it get too warm, though, as it will become a bit gooey and be hard to slice.

I took the finished one to work for the staff meeting, its such a crowd pleaser. I guarantee if you make it, it will be gone before you can save yourself a piece. 

Also, please let me know if you make anything form here, I love to see things you make so send me a picture. 

Follow me on social media here. Twitter instagram