Cheesecake + brownie. For real! Just make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before you work with it.

  • Serves

    8

    Makes one 7-inch square

  • Cook Time

    1h 15m

Ingredients

For Cheesecake

  • 225 gm cream cheese
  • 50 gm butter
  • 25 ml fresh cream
  • 5 ml lemon juice

For Brownie

  • 200 gm flour
  • 200 gm dark chocolate, chopped
  • 100 gm butter
  • 75 gm applesauce
  • 75 gm brown sugar
  • 50 gm castor sugar
  • 5 gm vanilla paste
  • 5 gm baking powder
  • 2.5 gm baking soda
  • 50 ml boiling water
  • 20 ml milk

Preparation

For Brownie Batter

  1. Melt dark chocolate and butter together in a medium-sized bowl, over a double boiler or in a microwave. Mix well to combine.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together applesauce and brown sugar. Pour in the boiling water, make sure the sugar melts and whisk well.
  3. Pour the melted chocolate into the applesauce mixture and whisk until everything comes together.
  4. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, and fold into the applesauce mixture.
  5. Add the milk in two halves.
  6. Set the batter aside.

For Cheesecake Batter

  1. Whisk the cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl for 2 to 3 minutes. It must get soft and fluffy.
  2. Add butter and sugar – mix well, using a whisk or hand-blender.
  3. Pour in fresh cream and make sure everything is combined well.
  4. Add lemon juice and mix. The batter needs to be smooth.

To Assemble

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prep a 7-inch square baking tin by lining it with butter paper or foil.
  2. Pour three-quarters of the brownie batter into the lined tin.
  3. Cover it with all of the cheesecake batter.
  4. Top with dollops of the remaining quarter of brownie batter. Moving a skewer in circular motions, create swirls.
  5. Bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, until the sides of the cheesecake have left the tin.
  6. Allow it to cool, and slice into bars.
Pooja Dhingra

Pooja Dhingra

Pooja Dhingra, the head chef and founder of Le15 Patisserie, is Scroll Food’s Chef of the Month for November. Armed with a degree in hospitality from Cesar Ritz Colleges, Switzerland, and a Patisserie Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Pooja returned home with the single goal of creating Parisian-style culinary experiences in India. Her success with Le15 Patisserie earned her the sobriquet ‘Macaron Queen of India’. Chef Pooja has been featured in national dailies and is a regular in fashion and lifestyle glossies not just for her abilities in the kitchen, but also as a dynamic businesswoman and inspiration to young women. She was selected by Forbes India for their ‘30 Under 30’ achievers list for 2014 and the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list.

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