Amaretto Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

For Crust:
200 g		                 	Amaretti Cookies (see Method)
30 g		                 	Unsweetened Chocolate, 1 square
2 tbsp 		        	Granulated Sugar
5 tbsp 		        	Sweet Butter

For Filling:
170 g		                	Semi-sweet Chocolate
680 g 		         	Cream Cheese
200 g		                	Amaretti
110 g		                	Almond Paste
4 		                	Large Eggs
1/3 cup 	                   	Amaretto Liqueur
1/2 cup 	                	Heavy Cream
1/4 cup 	                	Sugar, granulated

Method

For Making Crust:
Grease the sides only (not the bottom) of a 9-inch spring-form pan (about 2½ to 3 inches deep). Grind Amaretti cookies until very fine in a food processor or blender. Mix with sugar in a mixing bowl.

Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add melted mixture to Amaretti crumbs and sugar and mix thoroughly. (Don't wash the double boiler; you'll be using it again shortly.)

Pour mixture gently into prepared greased pan. Using your fingers, press mixture evenly over the bottom firmly until it is compact. Keep chilled as you prepare the filling.

For Making Filling:
Preheat oven to 180°C.

Using the double boiler again, melt chocolate over low heat and stir until completely melted. Remove the top of the double boiler and leave aside to cool.

Crush Amaretti cookies coarsely into a bowl and set aside first. Cut almond paste into small pieces. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer, while gradually adding the Amaretto liqueur. Beat until thoroughly mixed and set aside.

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add the almond paste-Amaretto mixture and beat until well-blended. Add melted chocolate and beat well again. Add eggs one at a time, beating at low speed until they are incorporated after each addition. Add heavy cream and beat until smooth. Add in the coarsely crushed Amaretti cookies and stir gently to mix.

Spoon gently into crust-lined prepared pan. Rotate the pan gently to level the batter. Bake for about 45 minutes. Cheesecake will be soft at the center, but you won't need to bake further as it will be firm when chilled overnight. The top of the cake will appear bumpy because of the large chunks of Amaretti.

Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Detach carefully from sides of the pan and chill the amaretto chocolate cheesecake for at least 6 hours, or even better, overnight.

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