White Chocolate Cheesecake

Hmmm cheesecake, love cheesecake, love the Cheesecake Factory...

Oh and also love, love, love the Wagamama creamy white chocolate cheesecake with stem ginger too. A while ago I searched high and low for the recipe, but I guess i'll have to make do with an alternative white choc cheesecake, baked and no-bake recipe offerings on the net.
I've decided to go with Gordon Ramsay's version of white choc cheesecake...it's a darn shame i don't have a springform tin though.

Yay, no cracks (too high temp) and perfect creamy not too dense texture!

First is the BBC Food recipe:

Ingredients

450g/1lb soft cream cheese
4 large free-range eggs
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
225g/8oz good quality white chocolate
225g/8oz crème fraîche
butter, for greasing
55g/2oz biscuit crumbs, to dust over the buttered tin (use any type you love - chocolate digestives are good)

Method

1. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until soft, then add the eggs one by one, along with the seeds scraped from the vanilla pod.
2. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, then fold in the crème fraîche until smooth.
3. Fold the chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
4. Grease a 25cm/10in cake tin and sprinkle the base with the biscuit crumbs to cover. Pour the chocolate and cream cheese mixture into the tin and bang down on a firm surface to remove any air bubbles.
5. Bake in a low oven, 150C/300F/Gas 2, for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until the centre is just firm.
6. Allow to rest for several hours to firm up, before turning out and serving.

Gordon Ramsay's White chocolate and lemon cheesecake - Timesonline

Makes 12-14 slices

Cheesecakes with chocolate need to be taken out of the fridge an hour before serving to allow the chocolate to soften. The lemon confit can be stored in a screw-topped jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.

300g plain chocolate digestives

100g butter, melted

300g white chocolate

200ml double cream

400g full-fat soft cheese, eg, Philadelphia

3 eggs, lightly beaten

50g caster sugar

Grated zest of 3 unwaxed lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

For the lemon zest confit

250g granulated or caster sugar

6 unwaxed lemons

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Line the base of a 23cm springform tin with baking parchment. Whiz the digestives in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Pour in the butter, then whiz briefly again. Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and press down firmly. Bake for 15 minutes, then leave to cool.

2 Turn the oven setting down to 140C/ Gas 1. Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and tip into a large bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until beginning to boil, then pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted, then set aside to cool slightly.

3 Clean the bowl of the food processor. Blend the cheese with the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add the chocolate and cream mixture and whiz briefly again until thoroughly combined.

4 Wrap a double layer of foil, lined with clingfilm, around the base and sides of the tin to make it watertight. Place the tin in a large roasting tray, then carefully pour the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base. Half-fill the roasting tray with boiling water, then bake for 45-50 minutes.

5 For the lemon zest confit, dissolve the sugar in 250ml water over a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and boil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, finely pare the zest of the lemons with a swivel vegetable peeler. Scrape off any pith and cut the zest into thin julienne strips.

6 Blanch the lemon zest in boiling water for 2 minutes, then pat dry. Bring the sugar syrup back to the boil in a small pan. Drop the zest into the pan, return to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

7 Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1-2 hours, with the oven door left slightly ajar. Lift the cheesecake from the water, discard the foil and chill. Spoon the lemon zest confit over the cheesecake before cutting into thin slices.

Next a no-bake Cooks.com recipe submitted by Sara:

1 1/2 oz. (40g) butter
1 packet of ginger nuts (200g)
2 oz. (50g) dark chocolate
1 bar white chocolate (150g)
1 tub curd cheese (Mascarpone) (250g)
1 tub yogurt (200g)
3 oz. caster sugar (75g)
1 tub double cream (284 ml)
cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Lightly oil an 8-inch loose-bottomed cake tin with sunflower oil. Make sure you grease right up the sides. Next, put the butter in the saucepan with half of the dark chocolate, and melt over a low heat.

Put ginger nuts in a (clean) plastic bag. Then put that bag in another bag. Crush the ginger nuts, until your preferred size of crumb is reached.

Stir all the crumbs into the melted chocolate/butter, until well mixed. That's your base. Just press it firmly onto the base of your tin, and wrap it in the fridge to chill.

Break up all the white chocolate into the bowl, and melt it gently over a pan of simmering water or in a double boiler. The water shouldn't touch the bottom of the bowl. At this point you need to watch like a hawk, and keep stirring.

After the mixture is melted to a lovely sticky goo, take it off the heat and beat in the yogurt, sugar, and curd cheese, until well-blended. Lightly whip the cream, then fold into the cheesecake mix.

Once well-folded, pour it over the chilled base, and grate the remaining dark chocolate over the top in an artistic fashion.

Dust with the cocoa if you feel so inclined. Finally, pop the whole kit and caboodle back in the fridge, and let it chill out for at least four hours, preferably overnight if you can bear to wait !!!!

A no-bake recipe from Waitrose:

Serves: 8

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits
90g butter, melted
75g white chocolate, broken
200g cream cheese
150g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated (discard 2 whites)
568ml carton double cream
6 leaves gelatine

Method

1. Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the base of a 24cm springform, loose-bottomed tin, sides lined with greaseproof paper. To make small cheesecakes, put 8 x 9cm circle cutters (4cm deep) onto a lined baking sheet. Line each with greaseproof paper. Press the biscuit mix into the bases. Chill while you prepare the topping.
2. Put the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of just-boiled water and leave to melt. Whisk the cheese, sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until smooth.
3. Gently warm 100ml of the cream in a small pan. Turn off the heat. Add the gelatine. Leave for 5 minutes to soften. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
4. Lightly whip the remaining cream until it holds soft peaks, then fold in the melted white chocolate.
5. Whip egg whites till stiff. Set aside. Stir the gelatine mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the cream and chocolate mixture, then the egg whites. Pour over the biscuit base. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
6. To serve, remove the sides of the tin and peel away the paper. For single cheesecakes, transfer to plates using a palette knife and lift off the rings. Serve with kiwi, raspberries or passion fruit and white chocolate shavings.

Cook's tips

Because it contains uncooked egg, this recipe is not suitable for the young, pregnant women, the elderly or those with weak immune systems.

So, which of these recipes tickle your fancy?