Champagne cheesecake with marzipan
Recipe for a champagne cheesecake with marzipan and chocolate, - perfect as a New Year's Eve dessert or for any other special occasion.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
Marzipan biscuit base
- 200 g digestive biscuits or oat biscuits
- 130 g marzipan, coarsely grated
- 50 g almonds (optional)
- 100 g butter
Champagne cheesecake
- 200 g full-fat cream cheese (not light)
- 250 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
- 150 g crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt
- 150 ml champagne or cava - demi-sec
- 100 g icing sugar
- 5 1/2 sheets leaf gelatine
Topping for the champagne cheesecake
- Chocolate shavings
- Chocolate balls - I use Special Moments
- Edible gold flakes
- Strawberries on the side (optional)
You will also need
- Cake ring or springform tin, approx. 18-20 cm
- Acetate cake collar (cake plastic strip)
Instructions
Marzipan biscuit base
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Blitz the biscuits and almonds to fine crumbs, and mix them well with the butter and the marzipan.
- Line the base of a springform tin with baking parchment, then fit the acetate cake collar around the inside of the ring. If you are using a cake ring, place it on a chopping board with a piece of baking parchment underneath, and line the inside of the ring with the acetate collar.
- Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and press it down firmly so the whole base is covered. Chill in the fridge and let it rest.*You can press it down with a spoon or the bottom of a glass.
Champagne cheesecake
- Soak the gelatine sheets in a large bowl of cold water for about 15 min.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks - it must not be over-whipped.
- In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, crème fraîche and icing sugar together until completely smooth and free of lumps.
- Add the champagne and stir again until the cheese mixture is free of lumps.
- Melt the soaked gelatine in a small saucepan over the very lowest heat. It only takes a few seconds, so keep an eye on it. Don't wring the gelatine out too hard before melting; the little water still clinging to it makes the melting easier to control.Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the gelatine has melted.
- Stir a couple of large spoonfuls of the cheese mixture into the pan with the melted gelatine, and stir until lump-free and slightly cooled.
- Stir the gelatine mixture into the cheese mixture and combine well, then fold the whipped cream into the mixture.
- Pour the cheese mixture over the biscuit base and smooth the top with a spoon if needed.
- Return the cake to the fridge and let it set for at least 3 hours, - or preferably overnight.
Champagne cheesecake with marzipan
- Just before serving, decorate the cake with chocolate shavings, chocolate balls and gold flakes.*Note that the surface of the chocolate balls melts slightly in the fridge, so wait until the cake is about to be served before adding them.
- If you'd like to get the cake ready earlier in the day, you can easily do so. You could take it out of the tin in the morning and set it on the plate you'll be serving it on. You can sprinkle over the chocolate shavings at this point too, - but hold off on any decorations that might "melt" on the surface.I wouldn't recommend covering the cake with cling film once it's out of the tin, as you may damage the edges. Instead, make sure other foods in the fridge are covered so they don't transfer their flavour to the champagne cheesecake.