I’ve been playing around with my food again and have gone and created something a little different, but rather yummo! I actually thought I had invented something new, but after a search, I saw other food lovers had already created similar cheesecakes so it turns out I’m a little behind in the creative department!

This cheesecake has a ‘Chocolate Crackle’ base made with rice bubbles (aka rice crispies), sugar, coconut and cocoa, all mixed together with melted Kremelta (Copha) under a milk chocolate, coconut cheesecake filling.

Now, if you’re not from ‘Downunder’, Chocolate Crackles (below), are an ‘old school’ New Zealand and Australian favourite and you can check out them out here.

INGREDIENTS

‘Chocolate Crackle’ Base
125 g Kremelta (Copha)
2 cups / 60 g Rice Bubbles (Rice Krispies)
½ cup / 75 g icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
½ cup / 35 g desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons / 15 g cocoa powder

Cheesecake Filling
200 g milk chocolate (in a block or buttons)
½ cup / 35 g desiccated coconut
½ cup / 125 ml milk
1 cup / 250 ml full cream
2 cups / 2 x 250 g pottles cream cheese (at room temperature)
½ cup / 110 g castor sugar
2 ½ teaspoons gelatine granules

Decoration
2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Serves 10 – This is quite a rich cheesecake so I recommend 10 slices rather than my usual 8 for this 20 cm round cheesecake.

Notes

If you don’t have the larger, shredded coconut, just use desiccated coconut for sprinkling over the top.

STEP BY STEP

‘Chocolate Crackle’ Base

First, line the bottom of a 20 cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin with non-stick baking paper and then lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray.

A lot of cake bases have a lip that faces up when the base is locked in place. If you turn the base upside down inside the tin before you lock it on the side, it will allow your cheesecake (once set) to slide off more easily.

Place the Kremelta in a small saucepan and over a low heat, leave it to melt.

Place the rice bubbles, icing sugar, coconut and cocoa powder in a medium-sized bowl and mix it all together.

Go on to pour in the melted Kremelta and mix it all together.

Set 2 tablespoons of the mixture aside for sprinkling on top later on.

Spoon the mixture into the bottom of the tin and loosely spread it out as evenly as possible.

Use a metal spatula or a flat-bottomed cup or glass to press it down evenly and reasonably firmly.

Best not to press down too hard or the base will set very hard.

Once it’s pressed down, place it in the fridge while you make the filling.

Cheesecake Filling

To melt the chocolate, find a heatproof bowl that fits snuggly into the top of a small saucepan. Break up the chocolate and place the pieces (or buttons) in the bowl.

Fill 1/3 of the saucepan with water and then set the bowl on top again. Check that the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl and if it is, tip some out.

Remove the bowl again and bring the water to the boil. Once boiling turn down the heat to medium/low or to where the water is simmering.

Place the bowl of chocolate back on the saucepan and stir often (especially the sides and bottom so it doesn’t stick and burn), until all of the chocolate has melted.

Leave the chocolate in the bowl, remove it from on top of the saucepan and place it aside.

Next, place the desiccated coconut and milk into a small bowl. Mix the two together and leave aside.

This will allow the coconut to soften.

Now in a medium-sized bowl using an electric beater, on medium speed, beat the cream for around 2 ½ minutes or until stiff peaks form. Place it aside.

Stiff peaks – If you pulled some up with a spoon, the peaks will stand up stiff.

Next, place the cream cheese and the castor sugar into a large bowl and…

…using the electric beater again, still on medium speed, beat it together for around 3 minutes or until it’s smooth and light ‘n’ creamy.

Scrape the bowl down and add the coconut and milk mixture…

…mixing it in until it’s well combined.

Add 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the melted chocolate and…

…fold it through.

Add the chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and still on medium speed, beat in it until it’s nicely combined.

Next, place 1/3 cup of cold water into a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over the surface.

Now boil the jug (kettle).

Find another heatproof bowl that is larger than the small bowl containing the water and gelatine and place the smaller bowl inside it.

Carefully pour some boiling water into the larger bowl so that it reaches the same height as the water and the gelatine inside the smaller bowl…..being careful not to get any water inside the small bowl.

With a teaspoon, mix the water and gelatine together until all of the gelatine has dissolved…..this will only take a minute.

Scrape every little bit of the dissolved gelatine and water into the bowl with the rest and on a lower speed, beat it in for around 1 minute or until it’s nicely blended.

Scrape down the bowl.

Go on to add the whipped cream and…

…using a large spoon or spatula, fold the whipped cream through the cream cheese mixture until well combined.

Spoon the filling into the tin and roughly smooth the top over with a metal spatula or the back of a dessert spoon.

Decoration

Sprinkle the set-aside, chocolate rice bubbles and the shredded coconut all over the top.

Place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for at least 2 ½ – 3 hours.

Keepin’ it fresh – I like to lay a long piece of cling wrap out on the bench (enough to wrap around the sides of the cheesecake) and then folded into 2 or 3 layers, so it matches the height of the cheesecake. Then I wrap it around the cheesecake quite firmly so that no air can get in and then I loosely cover the top with cling wrap. If not wrapped well cheesecakes will form a little crust and turn a little yellow. This will ensure it’s kept at its best for up to 5 days in the fridge.