Cooking with Corbs - Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust and M&Ms

Cooking With Corbs is back, and will be coming to you once a month until school begins in the fall. This week, Corbs and Becky embark on a journey to make a delicious Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake! The perfect time to practice, as it will make a decadent dessert for Father’s Day this June!

Remember to tag #ferniefix and #cookingwithcorbs so we can see what you’re cooking at home, and have a great week!

For the crust:

• 200 grams (approx 4 cups) pretzels
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 175 grams salted butter, melted
   

For the cheesecake:

• 400 grams cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs, separated
   

For the chocolate layer:

• 175 grams semisweet dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 70 g (5 Tbsp) salted butter, cubed
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
• M&Ms to decorate

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 20 inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Pulse pretzels in food processor to a fine crumb, then add sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan, pressing firmly into an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until just golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 320 F. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add lemon rind and juice and vanilla and beat to combine. Add egg yolks and beat on low speed until just combined. In a separate bowl beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form and then gently fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour over the crust, place pan on baking sheet and bake in oven at reduced temperature for 25-30 minutes until the centre is almost set. Cool on wire rack for an hour then chill in fridge until completely cool.

In a microwave in 30 second bursts, melt chocolate and butter, stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, place egg yolks and icing sugar in heatproof bowl. Place bowl over small saucepan of simmering water and whisk mixture constantly (or it will turn into scrambled eggs) until it reaches 70 C, or about 7-10 minutes, mixture will be thick and smooth. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Set bowl in ice and stir until cooled, about 2 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over cheesecake and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle M&Ms on top to decorate then refrigerate until set. Remove sides of pan before serving. Can be stored in the fridge for several days. Serves 12.