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CHALLENGING 8-10 SERVES 30 MIN PREP 90 MIN COOKING

This Haigh’s Chocolate Cotton Cheesecake is a true baking project - technical, precise, and absolutely worth mastering. It rewards patience and practice, and the details matter: every ingredient must be at room temperature, instructions should be read through before you begin, and every oven behaves a little differently, so stay attentive as it bakes. Get it right and the result is unforgettable - as light as a soufflé, yet as decadent as silky chocolate mousse, with that unmistakable Haigh’s depth. It’s the kind of recipe that becomes a signature once you’ve perfected it.

Ingredients

  • 100g Haigh’s dark chocolate pastilles, roughly chopped
  • 250g full fat cream cheese, diced
  • ²⁄₃ cup (160ml) milk, warm
  • 6 extra-large eggs (at room temperature), separated
  • ¹⁄₃ cup (50g) plain flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoon cornflour
  • ¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ²⁄₃ cup (150g) caster sugar

 

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced) and set oven to second bottom shelf. Spray a 20cm round loose bottom or spring-form tin with oil and line the base and sides with baking paper, taking the sides 5cm above the top of tin. Carefully wrap outside of tin (1 sheet at a time) in 3-4 sheets of extra wide strong foil, in preparation for protecting the cheesecake in the water bath. Line base of a roasting pan with a clean tea towel.
  2. Bring a small saucepan of water, a ¹⁄₃ full, to the boil. Remove from heat. Place a bowl on top. Add chocolate and leave to stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until melted completely. Set aside until required.
  3. Place diced cream cheese in a large mixing bowl over a double boiler or microwave on medium low, at 1 minute intervals, until cheese becomes soft and smooth. Add warmed milk stirring gently to combine. Remove mixing bowl from heat. Add yolks and melted chocolate, stirring to combine. Add sifted flours and cocoa, folding until well combined. Pour mixture through a sieve, to make sure there are no lumps.
  4. Place egg whites and cream of tartar together in bowl of an electric stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment. Whisk egg whites on medium until they become frothy. Add sugar slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition until egg whites reach soft peaks. Whisk egg whites for 1 minute on low, to help break down large air bubbles.
  5. Add ¹⁄₃ of the meringue mixture to cream cheese mixture, stirring well to loosen the mixture. Add remaining meringue mixture, folding gently until combined. Carefully pour mixture into prepared tin and gently run a skewer in circles through the mixture. Tap tin gently on kitchen bench, to release large air bubbles.
  6. Place foil lined tin in centre of prepared roasting pan and pour warm water around it, so it comes halfway up the sides of the tin. Carefully place pan in preheated oven and cook for 80-90 minutes until cheesecake has risen and centre has a slight wobble. Turn oven off and allow cheesecake to cool slowly in oven for 1 hour, with the door ajar. Remove tin from water bath and carefully release cheesecake from tin. This cheesecake can be served either warm or cold. If chilling in refrigerator, allow to cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. To serve dust top of cheesecake with extra cocoa, using a stencil if desired.

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