Whisky and Chocolate Cheesecake

If you’ve followed the Scotch Whisky Experience blog for a while, you’ll know that we’re always here for the incorporation of Scotch in the kitchen. Scotch whisky has such a diverse flavour profile that it pairs beautifully with anything from chocolate, to cheese, to savoury dishes, whatever you fancy! When we ran a competition last year to win a Taste of Scotland whisky and food matching experience here at the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, Facebook fan Heather sent us this amazing recipe for a whisky and chocolate cheesecake, which we couldn’t resist sharing. 

Try it this bank holiday weekend for the ultimate showstopping whisky dessert. Heather suggests using Auchentoshan American Oak as your single malt Scotch here (a triple-distilled, exceptionally smooth Lowland whisky with prominent vanilla flavours), but our team have suggested some alternatives below. 

Huge thanks again to Heather for the recipe! 

Baked Whisky Chocolate Cheesecake 

Ingredients 

• 150g of good quality 70% dark chocolate
• 275g caster sugar
• 1 large pack (250g) of Digestive biscuits (or graham crackers if you can’t find Digestives)
• 160g melted butter
• 500g full fat cream cheese
• 142ml carton of sour cream
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 vanilla pod
• 50ml of Auchentoshan American Oak Scotch whisky

For the topping 

• 250g of good quality dark chocolate (as per cake) chopped
• 235ml of double cream
• Handful of raspberries to decorate (optional)

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 170° C (330° Fahrenheit or gas mark 3) 
2. In a heatproof bowl, melt the dark chocolate over some simmering water, along with 125g of caster sugar. Leave to cool a little. 
3. For the base, crush or blend the biscuits and mix with the melted butter. Press into a 20cm tin and leave to set in a cool place while you prepare the filling.
4. Meanwhile, crack the eggs and beat in the cream cheese, sour cream, remaining caster sugar. Scrape in the vanilla pod.
5. Slowly add in the chocolate mixture and the Auchentoshan American Oak and mix well. If the mixture looks a little too ‘liquid’, add a little more cream cheese until happy with constituency.
6. Pour mixture onto base and bake for 50 minutes until set. (If your oven is unpredictable, double-wrap the tin with foil, place it in a roasting tray and half-fill the tray with boiling water, creating a Bain Marie effect which will help the cheesecake cook more evenly) 
7. Leave to cool fully. 

For the topping 

     8. Heat the cream until it boils slightly
     9. Pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly and pour over cake or leave to cool longer to create a thicker topping.
    10. You can also add another slug of whisky to pack a punch if desir

   

Whisky matches for cheesecake 

Those vanilla flavours from the Auchentoshan American Oak are essential in this cheesecake recipe, complimenting the dark chocolate and enhancing the creamy notes in the cheese and sour cream. Try these other Scotch whiskies if you don’t have Auchentoshan to hand – any of these will work perfectly as a dram to accompany the dessert, too! 

Deanston Virgin Oak and Glen Garioch Virgin Oak 

A virgin oak Scotch whisky means that it has been placed in first-fill oak barrels for maturation (barrels that are brand new and haven’t been used for maturing any kind of alcohol beforehand). The vanilla flavours are particularly powerful in a Virgin Oak whisky, and are more than a match for the dark, rich chocolate cheesecake! Deanston and Glen Garioch are worthy and unusual malts to pair with your cheesecake, and each are a stunning dram to enjoy on their own. 

Monkey Shoulder 

A blended whisky created using Speyside single malts, with a softly sweet flavour that will win over any committed non-whisky drinker! 

Matching whisky with chocolate 

Take a look at our blog posts from recent years on how to match Scotch whisky with chocolate – perfect if you got a good haul of chocolate eggs this year!