Christmas is fast approaching so I might as well get the indulgent stuff underway and what better way than having three of probably the most arguably delicious deserts stacked on top of each other? I mean lets be honest, no one is watching their weight in December so it's probably best to kick off the month the right way. A little early Christmas gift from me to you. I'm talking dark chocolate brownies topped with new york cheesecake and finished off with a decadent chocolate orange ganache. Heart stopping stuff, in the sense that anyone at your Christmas dinner parties will probably have to be rushed to hospital over the sheer excitement, maybe...

TIME: 2 Hours SERVES: 8
INGREDIENTS:
For the brownie:
150g unsalted butter
230g of dark chocolate, chopped
100g of Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of espresso powder
250g of golden granulated sugar
100g of muscovado sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of salt
6 eggs
130g of plain flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt
For the cheesecake:
600g of cream cheese
50g of unsalted butter, melted
150 of white caster sugar
150ml of soured cream
2 tablespoons of plain flour
3 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
For the ganache:
300g of dark chocolate, melted
300ml of double cream
2 teaspoons of orange extract (oil based)
50g of unsalted butter
100g of pistachio kernels, chopped
Sea salt (for sprinkling on top)
MAKE IT:
1.) Pre-heat the oven to 170°C
2.) In a saucepan, melt the butter and then pour over the chopped dark chocolate in mixing bowl and stir until all of the chocolate has melted.
3.) In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together vigorously for two minutes.
4.) Gradually add the melted chocolate and butter to the mix and whisk together.
5.) Add the cocoa powder and espresso powder along with the vanilla extract, sea salt and whisk together well.
6.) Sieve in the flour and fold it in lightly, set aside
7.) In a bowl, add the eggs and sugar together and whisk well for two minutes.
8.) Add the cream cheese, melted butter, soured cream, vanilla extract and plain flour and whisk together well.
9.) Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and grease with butter.
10.) Empty the brownie mixture into the baking tray and spread out evenly, slam the baking tray on the kitchen counter a couple of times to even out the mixture.
11.) Add the cheesecake mixture on top evenly, try to be as careful as you can when pouring the mixture as if you add too much in certain areas you won't get as vivid layers.
12.) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 170°C, after 20 minutes, remove from the oven and slam the tray twice on the counter. I always find this helps even out the bake. Return back to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
13.) While the cheesecake brownie is in the oven, you can begin making your ganache. In a bowl, add the melted chocolate, double cream, orange extract and melted butter. Mix together well and set aside.
14.) Once the cheesecake brownie has been cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, pour the ganache evenly over the top. Scatter some sea salt and chopped pistachios over the top, cover and refrigerate for about 6 hours or overnight.
15.) Slice into squares, chunks, slices, however you like and serve with ice cream!
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