Frozen Mocha Cheesecake

A delightful creation of velvety satiny mocha filling on a thin complimentary crust of chocolate wafer or chocolate digestive biscuit crumbs. A dessert which may be made well in advance to prevent a rush of activities for special occasion cooking.

Crust
6 chocolate digestive biscuits
30 ml melted butter or margarine

Filling
200 g dark chocolate
15 ml espresso or strong black coffee
7.5 ml vanilla essence
250 g creamed cottage cheese
1 x 397 g tin full cream sweetened condensed milk
125 ml cream

Biscuit crumb topping
3 chocolate digestive biscuits

Garnish
125 ml cream
5 ml sugar
2 drops vanilla essence
chocolate shavings or curls
melted chocolate or chocolate sauce in a tube to decorate plates

1. Line the base of a 200 22 cm spring form or loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of lightweight aluminium foil, allowing it to extend over the sides.
2. Chop the biscuits for the crust in a food processor or crush finely with a rolling pin and stir together the biscuit crumbs and melted butter.
3. Sprinkle into the prepared tin or dish and press evenly onto the base.
4. Bake at 180ºC for 10 minutes until the crust is set.
5. Break the chocolate into a glass bowl, cover and microwave on MEDIUM for 1 – 2 minutes or until softened if tested with the tip of a teaspoon.
6. Beat together the creamed cottage cheese and condensed milk well.
7. Add a spoonful of the mixture to the chocolate and mix.
8. Add the chocolate to the mixing bowl and beat very well to combine.
9. Beat in the coffee and vanilla.
10. Beat the cream until stiff and fold into the chocolate mixture until blended.
11. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Cover with cling wrap and freeze overnight or at least 8 hours until quite firm.
12. Chop the biscuits for the crumb topping to finish the cake and store in a small container.
13. Give one quick wipe with a warm damp cloth around the sides of the cake tin or glass dish to release the cake.
14. Undo the clasp if a spring form tin was used or lift out the cake with the aid of the base or the loaf with foil.
15. Place the frozen cake onto waxed paper, coat the sides with crumbs by pressing it onto the sides with the palms of the hands.
16. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top and return to the freezer for at least an hour.
17. Place into a suitable airtight container and keep frozen until ready to serve.Beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff and spoon into a piping bag with a small rosette nozzle.
18. Decorate the round cake with cream rosettes and finish with a chocolate coffee bean, chocolate shavings or curls.
19. Decorate the loaf cake with rows of piped cream before slicing or decorate the slices with rosettes of cream, chocolate coffee beans, curls or shavings.
20. Lift the frozen cake off the foil and place onto a serving platter – white looks great. Using the melted chocolate or commercial chocolate sauce, make a zig-zag pattern onto each individual serving plate.
21. Cut the cake into neat wedges and place onto the zig-zag chocolate sauce pattern to serve.

10 – 12 servings.