[recipe inspired by Małe Co Nieco and my own memories from back home]

Cheesecake has been always one of my favorite desserts, but not any cheesecake… I’m not really fan of the no-bake jelly like cheesecakes. To me cheesecake should be baked, with crumbly crust and crumbly topping, just like I remember from my childhood.

INGREDIENTS

for the cheese layer

• 900 g cream cheese (full fat)
• 6 medium eggs + 2 egg whites (yolks will be used for crumb layer)
• 1½ cup icing sugar
• 3 tbs potato flour (or other starch, for instance: arrowroot)
• 1 tbs vanilla extract or even better vanilla sugar

for the chocolate crumb layer

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg yolks (egg whites will be used for cheese layer)
• 1 cup golden caster sugar
• 3 tbs cocoa powder
• 150 g unsalted butter – a little bit more than half a bar (chopped and softened) + some more butter to butter the tin

EQUIPMENT

• two 9” (22,8 cm) round non stick cake tins or 1 large square/rectangular brownie tin
• whisk

METHOD

1. Place all ingredients for chocolate crumbs in a bowl and mix with your hands until well combined and have crumb texture.
2. Spread ⅔ of the  dough crumbs on the bottom of buttered tin/tins, even and press them slightly down.
3. In another bowl combine all ingredients for cheese layer, except egg whites – beat them and add at the end.
4. Carefully pour cheese mixture over dough crumbs in the tin, top with the rest of the crumbs and bake in the oven preheated to 180°C (356°F) for about 1 hour 10 minutes.
5. When you are half way with baking you can reduce temperature to 150°C (302°F).
6. Use wooden skewer to check if cheese did set properly before removing from the oven.
7. Once cheesecake is baked, leave it to cool down completely, cover in the tin with cling film and place in the fridge for couple hours or even overnight.
8. Serve cold.

Makes 16 – 24 servings.

TIPS

For updated version of the same cheesecake take a look here: Polish Style Chocolate & Walnut Cheesecake.

NOTES

You may also try Strawberry Crumb Cheesecake I made recently using the same cheese layer and crumbs without cocoa powder or Blueberry & Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake which is also delicious.