Ruby Chocolate Cheesecake

Tuesday, February 11, 2020



It’s that time of the year when love and (wind)chill is in the air. Baking calls for something rosy, something fruity and yet something decadent for the occasion.



Enter this ruby chocolate cheesecake! It is a no-bake delight, creamy and luscious, fresh and fruity, and oh-so-pretty in pink.



An almond-tinged crust made with amaretti makes for an ideal base, upon which this berry-scented cheesecake rests. Then a velvety pour of ruby chocolate ganache is draped on top, with almond slivers, freeze-dried raspberries and fresh juicy berries adding texture and visual interest.

Happy Valentine’s Day!


Ingredients:

Crust:

120 g (1 cup) graham cracker crumbs (about 10-12 full cracker sheets)
60 g (1/2 cup) amaretti (Italian almond cookie) crumbs
35 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
70 g (5 tbsp) butter, melted

Cheesecake:

14 g (5 tsp or 2 pouches) Knox gelatin
120 ml (1/2 cup) cold water
225 g (1-1/2 cups) Callebaut ruby chocolate callets
30 ml (2 tbsp) heavy whipping cream
240 g (2 cups) icing / confectioners sugar, sifted
15 g (2 tbsp) beet powder, sifted
360 ml (1-1/2 cups) heavy whipping cream, cold
750 g (26-1/2 oz or 3-1/3 cup) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
15 ml (1 tbsp) vanilla extract

Ruby Chocolate Ganache:

75 g (1/2 cup) Callebaut ruby chocolate callets
120 ml (1/2 cup) heavy whipping cream
3 g (1 tsp) beet powder

To decorate:

Fresh berries
Freeze-dried raspberries
Slivered almonds

Directions:

Prepare the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
3. Transfer this mixture onto a 23 cm / 9-inch springform pan, pressing down gently with the back of a spoon, or the base of a glass to create an even and flat surface.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the colour starts to change slightly.
5. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Prepare the gelatin: 

6. In a small heatproof bowl, pour the cold water, then sprinkle the gelatin granules on the surface. Let stand for 1 minute. The mixture will appear to be thick and murky.
7. Microwave for 30-40 seconds until hot, then stir to combine. The liquid will now resemble sugar syrup. Set aside.

Melt the ruby chocolate:

8. In a medium heatproof bowl, melt the ruby chocolate callets and 2 tbsp of cream in the microwave in 20 second bursts until it starts to melt.
9. Keep stirring in between bursts, as the chocolate may be very soft already but still appear whole. We don’t want to overheat it. Set aside.

10. Into a medium bowl, sift the icing sugar with the beet powder and set aside. 

11. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the cold heavy cream for 6-8 minutes until it reaches medium firm (not stiff peaks). This is when the peaks are able to stand up firmly but still has a slight curl at the tip.
12. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl, and keep refrigerated. 

Make the cheesecake:

13. Swap the whisk for a beater attachment, then using the same stand mixer bowl (don’t bother washing it), beat the room temperature cream cheese on medium high until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
14. Add the now-pinkish icing sugar and beat on medium speed until soft and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
15. Add the melted ruby chocolate, gelatin, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes to incorporate. Keep scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
16. Add the whipped heavy cream to the mixture, and fold it in on low speed until the mixture appears homogenous. Take care not to overbeat, which may cause the heavy cream to split.
17. Pour the cheesecake onto the prepared crust, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight to set.

Before serving:

18. Make the ganache by melting the ruby chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof measuring cup (because it has a pouring spout)
19. Stir in the beet powder until ganache is smooth and is a ‘pourable’ consistency.
20. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake.
21. Decorate with fresh berries, freeze dried raspberries and slivered almonds.


Notes:

1. Ruby chocolate has berry and fruity tones and pairs very well with almonds, so I added the amaretti cookies for the crust. You can always swap the amaretti crumbs for an equal amount of more graham cracker crumbs.

2. Gelatin gives this no-bake cheesecake a lovely texture and the required structure. I have not explored vegan or vegetarian alternatives for gelatin, but if you have, please let me know in the comments.

3. While ruby chocolate has a lovely pastel pink hue already, the amount used in this recipe is insufficient to render the whole cheesecake a colour I am shooting for. Hence the beet powder, which is a natural way to enhance the pink tones without the artificial stuff.

4. I used a 1:1 chocolate to cream ratio for the ganache, then had to adjust with a bit more cream to create a ‘condensed-milk-like’ consistency. You are aiming for it to be pourable, not too thin, and not too goopy.




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