Dark chocolate and cherry cheesecake

Serves 6-9 Desserts and puddings

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Method

For the base, line the bottom and sides of the tin with non-stick baking paper, using a few spots of butter to stick it to the sides. Break the biscuits into a food processor and pulse to a fine crumb. add the butter and mix into the crumbs. tip into the linedtin and press evenly across the base. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 170˚C/ 340˚f/Gas 3. Put the chocolate, dried cherries and cream in a medium bowl and sit it over a smaller pan of barely simmering water for 5 minutes. don’t let the bowl touch the water. remove the bowl, leave for a few minutes and stir until all the chocolate has melted. Cool the mixture for 10 minutes.

Put the cream cheese into a bowl and whisk in the eggs one at a time followed by the sugar and cocoa. add the chocolate mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. drain the can of cherries over a small pan to catch the juice and reserve. Weigh out 150g of the drained cherries and chop into chunky pieces (put the remaining whole cherries in the pan with the juice) and fold into the filling.

Spoon the filling mixture into the chilled base and cook for 40 minutes until just firm but not cracking. turn off the heat and leave to cool in the oven for about 1 hour. transfer to the fridge to chill overnight. Meanwhile add the caster sugar to the pan of cherries and juice and heat gently to dissolve. Increase the heat and simmer to obtain a syrupy glazing sauce. Whip the cream with the kirsch, cocoa powder and icing sugar until floppy and serve with the cheesecake cut into squares and some syrupy cherries.