Foodie Friday: Ruby chocolate and raspberry cheesecake

This week’s recipe comes from Callebaut Chocolate hero Jodie Van Der Velden and its luscious berries and ruby red chocolate make it ideal for the festive season. Derived from the ruby cocoa bean, ruby red chocolate is a relatively new chocolate discovery and it has a completely new chocolate taste and colour. This chocolate, combined with a raspberry puree, creates this recipe’s perfect balance of sweet and sour.

INGREDIENTS

Almond Shortbread Base

• 120g almond meal
• 120g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 40g unsalted butter (melted)
• + 80g melted butter to mix with baked crumbs to make crumbly crust

Berry puree

• 250g raspberries (frozen is fine)
• 25g caster sugar

Cheesecake

• 175g cream cheese
• 200g mascarpone cheese
• 100g caster sugar
• 175g thickened cream
• 375g Callebaut Ruby RB1 chocolate
• + Ruby RB1 chocolate for décor

METHOD

Berry Puree

1. Bring berries and sugar to simmer over low/medium heat, and reduce until liquid has reduced and mixture has halved in quantity. Cool.

Almond shortbread base

1. Combine dry ingredients, add melted butter and mix until combined. Squeeze with fingers if necessary until butter is evenly distributed with dry mix.
2. Place shortbread crumbs onto parchment paper on baking tray, and bake at 170° C for around 15 minutes, until crumbs are light golden brown. Cool.
3. Add 80g melted butter to baked crumbs and mix through thoroughly to make crumbly crust, and press firmly with the back of a spoon into the greased base of a 20cm diameter round cake tin with removable base.
4. Line inside edge of cake tin with oil or butter, then press a strip of baking paper or acetate against oil.

Cheesecake

1. Beat cream cheese (at room temperature) with sugar until smooth, in stand mixer, with hand held electric beater or using firm whisk.
2. Add mascarpone cheese (room temperature), beat until combined.
3. Add thickened cream, beat until combined.
4. Add melted ruby chocolate, beat until combined.
5. Pour ½ of mixture into 20cm diameter cake tin with removable base and the inside edge lined (as per crumb base instructions above), and smooth surface with spatula.
6. Add cooled raspberry puree in a ring around the surface of the cheesecake mix.
7. Pour remaining cheesecake mixture over the top.
8. Refrigerate until set.
9. Add Ruby RB1 chocolate shavings or décor of choice to top of set cheesecake.

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