Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

I am going to say something controversial which will probably cause you to lose all respect for me. Ready? Here goes:

Cheesecake is really not my bag.

I mean, I don't hate it per se, it's just that when the choice comes to cheesecake or chocolate cake I'm always going to choose the chocolate cake. Even when it's a case of cheesecake versus say lemon meringue pie (oh be still my citrus-y heart!) or carrot cake, the cheesecake will always come second. Heresy? Perhaps. 

{Interjection: Check out how the words "cheesecake" aligns to the left of the above paragraph. Not planned - promise!}

But you should also know that as soon as I saw Nigella making this on tv, I couldn't stop thinking about it. In fact, I didn't hesitate to furiously scribble down all the ingredients in between lusting after the luscious peanut-buttery goodness presented to me on the screen. Never have I adored a screen so.

So, what exactly was so special about this particular cheesecake, you ask? Erm... do you even have to ask? Let's put it like this: when a recipe starts off with 100g (that's about 3 oz for my US peeps) chocolate for the base of a cake, you know you're in for trouble. And if you're smart, you will also realise that all resistance is futile. This recipe so haunted my thoughts, that I went out and bought the ingredients and made the cake on the same day. Same day people! If you know me, you'll know that says quite a lot about a recipe. 

Sadly for me, I couldn't eat the cake on the same day. I had to wait for it to set overnight. Oh and for TheHusband to return home. See, I'm considerate like that. But I can tell you that no lick of batter remained in the mixing bowl. I'm not ashamed to admit that I even gave up the pretense of a spoon or finger for "cleaning" purposes and jumped straight ahead to the "licking directly out of the bowl" action. Yup, it's *that* good. 

And when I finally did have a slice? I gobbled that bad boy up. Before supper. And I would've gone for a second slice if it wasn't so damn rich. I don't think I'll ever again be able to profess my meh attitude towards cheesecake. At least, not with a clear conscience. Not after Nigella got hold of me.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Adapted from Nigella's Kitchen
Serves 10

Base:
100g dark chocolate
50g butter
200g digestive biscuits (or cookies as we call 'em), crushed
50g peanuts, finely chopped

Filling:

500g (approx 17 oz) creamcheese (lowfat is fine), at room temperature

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

200g (scant 1 cup) brown sugar

125ml (1/2 cup) sour cream

250g (scant 1 cup) smooth peanut butter

Topping:

125ml (1/2 cup) sour cream

100g milk chocolate

100g peanut brittle, broken up

1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 180C. For the base, melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat in a medium sized saucepan. Stir to ensure the chocolate melts evenly. Remove from heat and add crushed biscuits and nuts, mixing thoroughly. Transfer to an oiled springform cake tin and press down gently to form a thick crust. Place in the freezer to set while you prepare the filling.
2. For the filling, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl, whisking at high speed with a automatic blender until smooth and creamy.
3. Remove base from the freezer and pour filling over the top. Bake for 30 minutes at 180C, then lower heat to 170C and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven, then proceed to make the topping. 
4. For the topping, melt chocolate and sour cream together in a small saucepan over medium heat, then pour over the cheesecake. Return to the oven for five minutes before scattering the peanut brittle pieces over the top. Finally return to the oven for another five minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool down (in the tin) until it has reached room temperature. Transfer to the fridge and chill overnight. Remove from spring form and serve. Will keep in the fridge for a few days.