Brownie Cheesecake Stack

How utterly delicious and decadent does this look? Not just brownies. THREE layers of brownies. Not just cheesecake. White chocolate cheesecake and white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. And they’re all layered together…with chocolate ganache on top…and decorated with chocolate petals. I know. OMG right?

I am really, really bad at cake decorating – you have no idea. I did not get much in the artistic side of things from my gene pool so if I can pull off these chocolate flowers then pretty much anyone can, and probably a whole lot better too.

Do not be intimated by this dessert, it’s really just 3 layers of simple brownies and one batch of cheesecake which is split into two; one being left plain white chocolate and the other transformed into raspberry.

The chocolate ganache is dead easy and the flowers are made from a really simple technique of running a big knife through some melted chocolate onto strips of baking paper and then allowing them to set into curved shapes. All you have to do is layer it all together and then sit back and wait for the applause!
Adapted from Taste Magazine’s recipe

Brownie Ingredients
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
180g unsalted butter, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
255g (1 1/4 cups brown sugar)
100g (1 cup) almond meal
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
35g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder

Cheesecake Filling
375g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
45g (1/4 cup) icing sugar mixture
200g white cooking chocolate, melted
300ml thickened cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
250g raspberries, fresh or frozen
Pink food colouring
2 1/2 tbsp warm water
3 1/2 tsp gelatine powder

Ganache
100ml pouring cream
140g dark chocolate melts

Chocolate Flowers
200g dark chocolate, melted
4 Maltesers
Gold edible spray

Brownies: Preheat oven to 170C/150F fan forced. Line 3 x 20cm (base measurement) square pans with baking paper. If you only have 1 or 2 pans, just reserve the batter and bake 1 or 2 at a time.

Melt chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

Separate 3 of the eggs, placing the yolks and egg whites in separate bowls. Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Use electric beaters to beat the sugar, yolks and remaining eggs in a bowl until thick and creamy. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, then stir in the almond meal, flour and cocoa until combined. Fold through the egg white mixture. If you are dead set on getting the brownies exactly the same size, place an empty bowl on a set of scales, and set the scale to zero. Tip the brownie mixture into the bowl and divide the weight by 3. Place one of the baking pans on the scale and set to zero. Then add 1/3 of the weight of the brownie mixture to each pan. Otherwise just use your eyes to judge!

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Cheesecake: Meanwhile, use electric beaters to beat the cream in a small bowl until medium peaks form. Set aside. Use the electric beaters to cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Make sure the cream cheese isn’t cold before beating in the melted white chocolate or the chocolate could seize and go lumpy. Fold in the whipped cream. Divide mixture in half.

In a small food processor combine half the raspberries and icing sugar until pureed then strain through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Add the puree into one portion of the cheesecake mixture and add a few drops of pink food colouring to tint.

Place 2 tsp gelatine in a small bowl and add 1 1/2 tbs water and stir to combine. Sit for a minute, then microwave for 15 seconds to melt. Beat into the raspberry cheesecake mixture. Place remaining 1 1/2 tsp gelatine in a small bowl and 1 tbs water and repeat for the white cheesecake mixture.

Line one of the square baking pans with cling wrap leaving about 8 inches overhang on each side so you can cover it later.

Place one of the brownies in the pan, then pour over the raspberry cheesecake mixture. Place another brownie on top and cover with the white cheesecake mixture. Pop the remaining raspberries into the cheesecake mixture, then top with the last brownie. Cover with the cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 7 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Ganache: Melt the chocolate and cream together in a small saucepan. Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes then pour over the brownie, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Chocolate Flowers: Spray the maltesers with the edible gold spray (you might need a few coats).

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cut non-stick baking paper into 24 strips and have a few muffin trays on hand for the chocolate strips to set in.

Lay a strip of baking paper on your worktop and dip a medium size knife into the chocolate. Tap to remove the excess chocolate then lay the knife flat on the baking paper and draw towards you to make a petal shape.

We are not going for perfection here but try not to have holes anywhere or the petals will be too fragile. Drape the paper over a muffin tin hole to form a slight curve. Pop the tins into the fridge for about 10 minutes to go firm. Put the rest of the chocolate into a piping bag.

Line a small bowl with a few pieces of cotton wool. Carefully peel off the baking paper and gently overlap five petals. Pipe chocolate to seal the gaps. Lay 3 more petals in the centre and pipe some more chocolate to seal, then return to fridge for another 10 minutes to set.

Repeat with the remaining petals. Place the flowers on top of the brownie, top with a malteser and you’re ready to serve!

Carolyn started her blog Pinkpostitnote.com just over a year ago as a way to deal with her obsession of trying new recipes from the copious collection of cookbooks that she owns (and continues to buy). She is particularly fond of “man” food, both cooking it and eating it. She will happily elbow people out of the road at the sight, sound and smell of a pulled pork burger. When she’s not lying awake at 5am wondering if she should buy chooks and a cow to deal with the constant need for eggs and butter, she’s dealing with all the paperwork associated with owning a bunch of tip trucks and her favorite time of the day is wine five o-clock.