Valrhona Ivoire White Chocolate Cheesecake

Valrhona Ivoire chocolate is lightly sweetened, encompassing the delicate flavours of milk and vanilla. The shape of the fèves are purposefully moulded for easy measuring, melting and incorporating into delicious desserts such as this fabulous cheesecake by Julie Le Clerc.

Serves 12-16

Base:
1/3 cup Torres roasted Marcona almonds
180g Digestive biscuits
60g Lewis Road Creamery unsalted butter, melted 

Cheesecake filling:
400g cream cheese
¼ cup caster sugar
1 tsp Heilala vanilla extract
3 large eggs
250g Valrhona Ivoire chocolate fèves
300ml cream 

To decorate:
Fresh-As freeze dried mandarin segments and raspberries  

Preheat oven to 150°C. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin.

Place almonds and biscuits in the bowl of a food processor. Process to form crumbs. Pour in melted butter and pulse to combine. Firmly press crumb mixture into the base of prepared tin. Chill while making the filling.

Gently melt Ivoire chocolate and cream together in a heatproof bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler, stir until smooth then set aside to cool a little.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating just enough to combine. Add melted chocolate and gently beat to combine. Expect the mixture to be quite runny.

Pour mixture over prepared crumb base and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour or until filling is just set but still a little wobbly in the centre (it will set fully once cold). Remove from the oven to cool completely in the tin.

Remove from the tin to a serving plate. Decorate with freeze dried fruits. Slice with a hot knife. Store, covered, in the fridge.

Recipe by Julie Le Clerc