This cheesecake is very dense and heavy; I really prefer the earlier cheesecake that I blogged. However, the effect of alternating the chocolate and regular batter for this recipe is really ingenius!

The top of my cheesecake didn't turn out as it was intended to be (check out the original version and recipe of Bulls Eye Cheesecake here). My slightly altered recipe used sweetened creamer instead of condensed milk because I happened to have a can of it stored in my pantry!

What you need:

For the base:

• 250g crushed digestive biscuit crumbs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 120g butter, melted

For the cheese filling:

• 500g cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 can sweetened creamer or condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 125g cooking chocolate, melted
• Juice of 1 lemon (or a few drops of vanilla essense if you prefer)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170deg Celcius. Combine crumbs, sugar and butter; press firmly on bottom of 9-inch springform or loose bottom pan.
2. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 150deg Celcius.
3. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy.
4. Spoon half the batter into melted chocolate, blend well.
5. Add in the lemon juice to the other half of the batter, blend well.
6. Pour alternately the chocolate and lemon batter into the middle of prepared crust.
7. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until centre is slightly jiggly but perimeter is set.
8. Cool for 1 hour and chill at least 4 hours to allow flavours develop.

My biggest achievement to date, this is a definite keeper recipe to be passed down the generations. Adapted from Rachael, thelazychef.wordpress.com, the cheesecake never failed to turn out perfect - I made it THREE times in TWO weeks!

You can get the ingredients i.e. cream cheese, strawberry/blueberry filling and loose bottom/springform baking pan from baking specialty shops as the prices there are so much more cheaper compared to the hyper and supermarts.

From Chang Thung S/B (No. 26, Jalan SS24/13, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya) and Bake With Yen (30 & 32, Persiaran Puteri Satu, Bandar Puteri, Puchong) the Kraft's Philadelphia cream cheese retails for only RM9.00 per 500g bar. For the fruit fillings, I love those from BEST23 Baking Essential Supplies (57 Jalan USJ 8/2B, Subang Jaya) as you can find many whole fruits in it; retails at RM5.6o per 300g jar.

What you need:

For the base:

• 250g digestive biscuits, finely crushed
• 120g butter

For the cheese filling:

• 375g cream cheese
• 110g castor sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 60ml lemon juice from 2 lemons
• 100ml dairy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp cornflour, sifted
• Grated rind from 1 lemon
• Topping: 200g strawberry or blueberry filling

Directions:

1. Prepare an 8-inch loose bottom or springform round cake tin. Wrap loose base of tin with aluminium foil.
2. To prepare base, melt butter. You can use more butter for a base that's harder and firmer. Use a little of the melted butter to lightly grease bottom and sides of cake tin.
3. Add melted butter into the crushed biscuits and stir until crumbs are moistened by butter. Transfer crumbs to the prepared cake tin. Press crumbs until it is flat and compact.
4. Place the tin with the crumbs into a preheated 180 degree Celcius oven and bake for 10~12 minutes.
5. Cream cheese and castor sugar until light and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, incorporate it well into cream cheese mixture after each addition. Do not overbeat the eggs.
6. Add juice, lemon rind and whipping cream. Beat well.
7. Finally, fold in sifted cornflour and grated rind into batter.
8. Pour cream cheese mixture over cooled biscuit base. Tap sides of cake tin a little to break large, noticeable air bubbles on the surface of filling.
9. Bake cheesecake using top and bottom heat of oven at 170degree Celcius for 30-35 minutes or until side of cheesecake has browned a bit but the middle is still a little jiggly.
10. Leave to cool. Run a thin knife blade carefully around inside rim of tin to loosen the sides of cheesecake. Remove cheesecake from cake tin. Unwrap aluminium foil from base of cake tin. Transfer the whole cheesecake, with the aluminium foil, to a cake board. Wrap aluminium foil over the cake board.
11. Allow to cool and spoon strawberry or blueberry filling over the top of the cake. Refrigerate cheesecake overnight.

Note: Make sure you wrap the aluminium foil upwards around the loose base tin, as the butter from the base might drip onto your oven, especially if you're using extra butter for a base that doesn't crumble easily.