No-cook Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

This is soo good it’s untrue and the addition of the raspberries helps you kid yourself that it’s slightly healthy, it isn’t really.  For a low fat version use low fat cream cheese or quark and omit the cream, it’s just as nice.

You can produce this various different ways

• as a whole cheesecake
• made in muffin cases for individual cheesecakes, peel off the muffin wrapper before serving and you have lovely crinkly edges
• canape versions, make in mini muffin cases and serve on Green’s of Devon’s edible tulip petals
• deconstructed canapes – serve the biscuit base crumbled in a pile, pipe the chocolate cheesecake mixture next to it and serve with whole raspberries, I’ve served these on an edible tulip petal and they look exquisite

Ingredients: for 12 individual cheesecakes or 24 minis
150g digestive biscuits or gingernuts
75g melted butter
300g white, milk or plain chocolate chips
50g butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
400g cream cheese (full fat or low fat)
120ml whipping cream
50g sugar
1 punnet raspberries

How to make chocolate raspberry cheesecake… WASH YOUR HANDS

1. Put the biscuits into a freezer bag, loosely tie the top and bash up with a wooden rolling pin until they biscuits are fine crumbs.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the melted butter and mix to combine.  Place a tablespoon of biscuit mixture into each of the muffin cases and press down to flatten.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, or in a bowl over a pan of hot water.
4. Whisk the cream cheese, whipping cream and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in the chocolate mixture (NB if you are using milk or plain chocolate and want to create a swirl effect then carefully stir in the chocolate mixture but don’t combine it totally so you still see the white and brown marbling.)  Very carefully stir in the raspberries – reserving 12 for the tops of the cheesecakes – for mini and deconstructed versions just keep them for the top, do not add to the chocolate mixture.
5. Split the cheese mixture equally between the muffin cases making sure you flatten the tops.  Top with a raspberry.
6. Transfer to the fridge and chill for 8-24 hours.  Remove from the cake cases and serve.

For a deconstructed version, make up point 1 then sprinkle the biscuit mix onto an edible tulip petal, make up the chocolate and cream cheese mix (point 3 and 4), omitting the raspberries, pipe the chocolate mix next to the pile of biscuit crumbs and serve with fresh raspberries next to them.