The perfect recipe to relax...Black Forest Cheesecake

We had such a hot weather here in Italy last week and I've been a little lazy cooking, especially baking...Well, the temperature suddenly dropped down in the last two days, we're having a lot of rain :( but a nice coolness...perfect to relax at home or in your (still wet, but refreshed) garden with your favorite book in one hand and a cup of coffee/tea in the other...that you can nicely pair with a slice of  this Black Forest cheesecake I recently made. The name is certainly inspiring...a forest...why not a rain forest with big cherries and cocoa trees all over and me exploring the wild environment and enjoying the adventure...not so relaxing actually....well let's go back to the safe garden and to the kitchen. This cake is really creamy and tasty, combining the fresh taste of cherries (with their acidity that cleans the mouth) with the sharp and persistent bitter aroma of dark chocolate. If you prefer a glass of wine instead of coffee or tea, I suggest a Moscato Rosa from Alto Adige or Friuli Venezia Giulia. One I know very well is the IGT Moscato Rosa from Marco Felluga, in the Collio Doc area. Perfect to pair with dark chocolate and red fruits desserts, with its hints of strawberries, cherries and raspberry syrup. Ah, and for an even more relaxed atmosphere I suggest listening  to the great soft guitar sound and warm voice of Jack Johnson ("the surfer"), who performed live yesterday in Rome. Lucky the ones who were there! For the others, like me, I posted a video I found on YouTube, where Jack sings Better together live.  Happy relax! Here the recipe of my Black Forest cheesecake.

Black Forest Cheesecake

(the recipe is taken from the Italian Guida Cucina magazine, year 2011, n.3. Makes 6 servings)

125 g chocolate shortbread cookies

75 g melted butter

500 g soft ricotta cheese

75 g sugar

2 eggs

200 g melted dark chocolate
170 g chopped cherry (or raspberry) cereal bars
425 g pitted fresh or frozen cherries

Crumble the cookies to dust and mix with the melted butter. Pour the compound in a 24 cm cake mold and press it to let it thick well. Cover and put in the fridge to cool for at least half an hour. Work together ricotta and sugar with electric whips, add the eggs one by one, stirring well. Add the melted chocolate, cereal bars and  cherries stirring with a wooden spoon. Spread out the compound in the cake mold over the cookie base and bake the cake at 180 C for 50 minutes. When ready, remove from the oven and let it cool. Cover the cheesecake with kitchen film and refrigerate for at least  three hours before serving. Decorate with white chocolate curls, made with a potato peeler. 

Here the video. Jack Johnson, Better together