Blackcurrant brownie cheesecake

Visitors to the farm shop will surely have been tempted by one of the locally-made small-batch chocolate brownies in stock in the summer. Essex Bakery make the best chocolate brownies we’ve ever tested, and they pair wonderfully with the summer fruit.

Blackcurrant brownie cheesecake

The Essex Bakery team are a creative bunch, always trying out new brownie flavours. This summer they had the bright idea of combining blackcurrants from the farm with a rich cheesecake, on top of a chocolate brownie base. And oh my goodness, what a winner! The smooth cheesey middle, the rich gooey chocolatey base, and the sweet/tart blackcurrant compote make a winning combination.

They suggests using brownie offcuts, one of Essex Bakery’s ingenious offerings from their online store; whole brownies will work just as well. Essex Bakery brownie bonus: they’re gluten free but you’d never know.

Missed the blackcurrant picking this summer? The farm shop is open all year round stocked with freshly-frozen fruit from the farm.

This no-bake cheesecake recipe can be made ahead and kept in the fridge, so it’s a winner for summer barbecues and entertaining (when we’re allowed to do that again!).

Ingredients

Blackcurrant compote

  • 150g blackcurrants, fresh or frozen
  • 35g caster sugar
  • 1tsp lemon juice
  • 1tbsp water

Brownie base

  • 4 Essex Bakery chocolate brownies or a bag of brownie offcuts (300g)

Cheesecake filling

  • 250g mascarpone
  • 70g icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 200ml double cream

Method

  1. To make blackcurrant compote: put water and lemon juice in a pan, bring to boil, add blackcurrants, and simmer until the fruit has broken down. 
  2. Tip in the sugar, boil for 10-15mins. Leave to cool down. 
  3. For the brownie base: blitz the chocolate brownies in a food processor until the crumbs combine.
  4. Press this mixture into a 8 inch (20cm) springform tin. 
  5. To make the cheesecake filling: beat the mascarpone, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth. 
  6. Lightly whip the double cream, then fold it into the mascarpone mixture. 
  7. Spoon the filling on top of the brownie base and smooth with a spatula.
  8. Set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
  9. To serve: remove the cheesecake from the tin, then spread the blackcurrant compote over the top of the cheesecake.

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