Monday, January 4, 2010

S'mores Cheesecake (Chocolate & Toasted Marshmallow)

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Why hello, Mr. Toasty, Gooey Marshmallow...Aren't you glad you finally met Miss Chocolate Cheesecake?

I was sitting around trying to think what could be better to bring to a food blogger's party than the masses of Sweetness marshmallows I had brought in the past. I didn't want to be a one trick pony. Then I spotted my shiny new blowtorch out of the corner of my eye.
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We don't really eat s'mores much in Australia. They are usually toasted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers with chocolate, and we don't get graham crackers here. But digestive biscuits are an almost equivalent substitute, as far as I can tell, so I decided to make a s'mores cheesecake. A digestive biscuit base (there aren't really any better cheesecake bases, except maybe ginger nut), a rich chocolate cheesecake and topped off with a thick layer of marshmallows, which were to be toasted with my blowtorch right before it was served. I may have done a little jig, I was that excited about it.
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So it was just a matter of finding a good cheesecake recipe. Nigella is always pretty reliable when it comes to cakes, so her chocolate cheesecake was a good place to start. I doubled the biscuit base and halved the filling, and it was great! Super easy too, as long as you're not a dumbo like me and have a leaky layer of foil around your tin when it goes into the waterbath. My biscuit base became quite sad and soggy because of that :( I had to use the chocolate I had in the house, which was my Lindt 70%, which was a far bit more bitter than I wanted for the cheesecake, so I had to add extra sugar to the cheesecake mixture. But in the end the bitterness of the chocolate was just balanced off by the intense sweetness of those fluffy Sweetness marshmallows.

I was lucky enough to pick up vanilla bean, strawberry and gingerbread marshmallows, and they toasted perfectly under the blowtorch flame. They had a crisp golden toffee layer on top, and were all warm and melty underneath. This is my new favourite recipe for a dinner party dessert, especially because you have the fun of torching the top of the cheesecake in front of your guests, which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
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S'mores Cheesecake (Chocolate & Toasted Marshmallow Cheesecake)
(adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cheesecake)
250g digestive biscuits
120g melted butter
90g dark chocolate, chopped (I used Lindt 70% but you can use a sweeter one if that is too bitter for you, I had to add extra sugar)
250g cream cheese, softened
90g caster sugar
1 tbsp custard powder
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
75ml sour cream
1/4 tsp cocoa, dissolved in 1/2 tsp hot water (not sure if you really need this to be honest)
Large marshmallows, either store bought or homemade, I used approx 20

Crush biscuits in a food processor or smash up in a zip lock bag. Add butter and process until the crumbs are damp. In a 20cm springform tin, press crumbs down to make an even base and then place in the freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.
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Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Fill kettle with water and put on to boil. Melt chocolate either in the microwave in 30 sec periods, stirring until it melts, or in a double boiler. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer to soften, then add custard powder and sugar and beat to combine.
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Beat in the whole eggs and then the egg yolk, followed by the sour cream, beating again to combine. Finally add the dissolved cocoa and the melted chocolate and mix until they are combined well. At this point you might want to taste your mixture to make sure it is the right level of sweetness for you. I had to add 1/2 cup of icing sugar into the mixture at this point since the lindt 70% was quite bitter.
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Remove springform tin from the freezer, line the outside of the tin very, VERY well with clingfilm and then a few layers of strong foil on the outside to keep it water tight. I have to say I have really bad luck with this, so water still leaked into mine. It's not the end of the world if this happens, it just means your biscuit base will be a bit more soggy than you want. Sit the springform tin in a roasting pan and then pour the filling into it. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it comes halfway up the side of the cake tin. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the top of the cheesecake has set.
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Remove tin from the roasting pan and peel off foil anf clingfilm. Cool in its tin on a wire rack. While the cheesecake is still warm, place marshmallows on top. The bottoms of the marshmallow will melt slightly. I walked away from it for 5 minutes and mine ended up like this:
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Which I quite liked! Leave to cool on the rack and then refridgerate overnight. When you are ready to serve, remove from the fridge and allow to come closer to room temp. Unspring tin and then slice up your cake ready to serve.
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As a final flourish, use a blowtorch to toast the tops of the marshmallows until they are golden on the outside and gooey and warm on the inside. Trust me, this is the bit that makes this cheesecake.
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Untoasted
If you aren't lucky enough to have a blowtorch, before slicing up the cheesecake you can stick it under the grill for a few minutes until the marshmallow layer goes golden on top, but make sure you don't burn it. Serve while the marshmallow is still warm and melty.
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Toasted!

Now the only thing you have to be careful of is that you don't turn into a pyro like me and want to toast everything in sight while you are holding that blowtorch...
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33 comments:

  1. I have been patiently waiting for this recipe. Look lovely, sound lovely and I bet it tastes lovely too :)

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  2. Looks riiiich! Love that blowtorch action on top :)

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  3. I can answer for the others, YES it indeed taste AMAZING! I am very lucky to have a "BIG" slice of it! LOL.. thanks steph for the dessert at the party. I make sure I wont kill you next time and go start sprinkling everything with nuts! ROFL

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  4. Definitely a crowd-pleaser! I loved the spectacle of blow-torching the marshmallows at the table - guaranteed to elicit oohs and aahs from a mesmerised crowd. Must bookmark this for a future dinner party :)

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  5. hehe it was fun watching the crazy glint of pyromania in everyones eyes as you blowtorched the marshmallows burn baby burn!

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  6. I've been waiting for you to post this recipe - your cheesecake was amazing! Can't wait to toast some marshmallows with my new blowtorch hehe

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  7. Wow, that looks amazing, and I bet it tasted amazing too!

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  8. That looks fabulous! Hubby got me a blowtorch for Christmas and I think this would be the perfect recipe to test it out on :-)

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  9. You're so clever Steph! I love this idea! Yet another reason to buy myself a blowtorch. And throw a dinner party :)

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  10. Hehe I can think of an even better cheesecake base than Digestives or Ginger Nuts... Arnotts Choc Ripple! It rarely goes soggy, crumbs beautifully and bakes perfectly. And it's chocolate *drool*

    Anyway.... this cheesecake was freaking AMAZING! And I don't even like marshmallows! I want me a slice now!

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  11. Nothing better to cap a great dinner than taking out the blow torch - your recipe looks delicious and your photos are really classy!

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  12. This was completely ingenious. And completely delicious. Can't wait to try the recipe!

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  13. How very clever of you! It's inspired really and I really need to use my blowtorch more often than I do lol

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  14. Do you know how wrong it it to post something like that when I'm supposed to start my diet today? :p

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  15. I love a crumby digestive biscuit base - nothing comes close to it! And there's something about theatrical pyrotechnics that just gets diners going =p Love the contrast of the colours and textures of the marshmallows versus the cheesecake too!

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  16. You had me at "Well hello" LOL!
    This looks awesome! I love your creations so much!

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  17. when you mentioned nigella and then i saw the egg yolk pic, i wondered if you separated your eggs nigella style...hehe
    this cheesecake looks lovely, i'm make a chocolate cheesecake on request for my cousin's b'day next week, i think i'll make it just that bit fancier with your idea of the marshmallows!

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  18. SSsssooooooo want to have a piece of that cake there...

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  19. Steph thanks to you i've had a cheesecake craving for 2 weeks in a row!!!!

    I loved how you blow torched it in front of us.. who needs a camp fire with dirty sticks, over cooked / burnt gooey marshmellows when you can have yours perfectly done with a blow torche.

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  20. Smores and cheesecake holy heck. What an incredible dessert. Looks amazing and I bet it was amazing.

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  21. Steph, this was SOOOO AWESOME!! I love s'mores like a fat kid in a cub scout. Yummy cheese cake & sweetness marshmallow are the perfect combination! Brilliant!!

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  22. Once again my mouth is watering! I've just been given an award for my blog and am now passing it on to you as one of my favourite blogs. To collect the award go to my blog;
    http://thechocolatepot.blogspot.com

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  23. Hi Steph!
    Ive read through your archives. Your blog is wonderful! Congratulations. I can't wait to read more. This recipe looks stunning! Cheesecake cravings are inevitable.

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  24. Hi,
    The s'more cheesecake looks fantastic! I'm totally with you about the pyro comment. After I made creme brulee tarts for the first time with my blow torch I wanted to burn more things! lol

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  25. This was such a great idea for a cheesecake. Thouroughly enjoyed this :)

    Now that I know how to make this, here's one more reason to break out the blowtorch :) hehe

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  26. Yay!! Love the s'more!

    These look awesome, I'll have to try them!

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  27. Ellie - :) Thanks Ellie. I wish you could have made it to the lunch!

    Y - Hehe it's not toooo rich, just rich enough :) Blowtorch action makes everything better!

    billy - haha yes you got the prepared slice that's in everyone's photos! You're very welcome, haha don't worry I don't die!

    Helen - Hehe fire at the dinner table is always sure to get the oohing and aahing :)

    chocolatesuze - Haha you're so right! I couldn't stop torching the top of it, it was so fun!

    Jacq - Aww thanks! Ooh you should, marshmallows torch so well!

    Reemski - :) Thank you! I was happy with it, just wish the base hadn't gotten soggy!

    Food.Baby - Isn't it such a great present to get? This recipe was a great excuse for me to whip out my torch :)

    Conor - Haha thanks! Get one get one! They're so much fun!

    Karen - Ooh yes I think you've mentioned that before. I really need to try it! Thank you so much lovely :)

    Trissa - Aww thanks Trissa! I wish I had gotten some better photos, couldn't get on to Foodgawker or tastespotting :(

    Lisa - Heehee try it! It's actually quite easy!

    Lorraine - Thank you! I am looking for any excuse to use my blowtorch these days :)

    Fiona - Haha sorry! Trust me, I fail at every diet i start!

    mademoiselle délicieuse - Same here! :) Thanks!

    Brenda - LOL!! It is a sexy cake after all! Thank you!

    panda - Haha is that how she does it? I have no idea! Hehe yep it's an easy way to fancy up the cheesecake :)

    YW - Haha try making it! It's so evil, but so good!

    Leona - Hahahaha sorry!!! Exactly...I guess that means I better bring it if we ever go camping :P

    A cupcake or two - Thanks so much! It was another one of those random ideas I have :)

    Yas - :D Thanks Yas! Hahahaha I'm trying to imagine you as a fat kid in a cub scout outfit now *giggles*

    Chele - Aww thank you so much! I'll try to post it up soon, I'm terribly slow and lazy!

    Kate - Yay! Thank you so much :) Don't we all get cheesecake cravings sometimes?

    Phuoc - Haha burn it! Burn everything! Yeah it's a little bit addictive!

    Simon - :) Yay! Yes make it! Blowtorching is far too much fun

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  28. Denea - Haha I know! You brought them to the picnic didn't you? :) Thanks!

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  29. Okay, so if your kaya post made my heart beat faster, I think this one just made it stop beating altogether. I'm not one for cakes, but have difficulty resisting cheesecake, and this just looks... unbelievable. So envious of the potluck attendees!!

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  30. Hannah - Haha it might just be your heart protesting at the thought of all those extra high cholesterol foods! Thanks so much :)

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  31. Oh my gosh! wow. this looks incredible, such a fantastic idea. I have just found your blog today from www.spicyicecream.com.au and i'm so glad I did! funnily enough I'm also a food blogger from Sydney. My blog is called www.stovetoprevolution.blogspot.com

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  32. Sophie - Oh yay! I'll definitely have to check out your blog, thanks for visiting!

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  33. Looks really tasty, I'll have to try this some day! :D

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