The chocolate biscuit base, a creamy chocolate centre and glossy boysenberry jelly will be a winner with your whānau.

Words and recipe: Extract from Whānaukai by Naomi Toilalo 

With a chocolate biscuit base, a creamy chocolate cheesecake centre and a glossy boysenberry jelly top, this will be a winner with your whānau. You can make this cheesecake a few days in advance, ready to spoil your manuhiri! Hūnene kau ana ki ngā pāpāringa – this is so tasty. Serves 12

Black Forest Cheesecake / Keke Tīhi Tiakarete Me Te Tieri

The Biscuit Layer | Te Paparanga Pihikete 

200 g dark chocolate biscuits (Tim Tams, for example) / kia 200 karamu pihikete tiakarete parauri
1 cup chocolate almond butter or chocolate hazelnut butter / kia haurua kapu pata aramona tiakarete, pata hānati tiakarete rānei

METHOD

Line the base of a 20 cm to 23 cm springform cake tin (any of these sizes will do) with baking paper. Kōnatunatuhia ngā pihikete ki roto i te tāwhirowhiro, tapahia rānei kia pīrahirahi ki te naihi. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or chop them finely with a knife. Add the pata aramona tiakarete. Whakaranuhia – mix well. Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin. Whakamātaohia – chill.

The Cream Cheese Layer | Te Paparanga Kirīmi Tīhi  

1/4 cup water / kia hauwhā kapu wai
2 teaspoons powdered gelatine / kia rua kokoiti paura tetepe
250 g dark chocolate, chopped / kia 250 karamu tiakarete parauri, kua tapahia
250 g cream cheese, at room temperature / kia 250 karamu kirīmi tīhi, ōrite te mahana ki te rūma
250 g sour cream / kia 250 karamu kirīmi kawa
1/3 cup maple syrup / kia hautoru kapu marahihi ampere
2 teaspoons vanilla essence / kia rua kokoiti iho hūperei
1 cup cream / kia kotahi kapu kirīmi
1/2 cup icing sugar / kia haurua kapu puehu huka

METHOD

Place the wai in a cup and sprinkle over the paura tetepe. Set aside to bloom. Melt the chocolate, either in a heatproof bowl set over but not touching a pot of simmering water, or in short bursts in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Microwave the bloomed gelatine on high for 20 seconds. Set aside to cool.

Place the kirīmi tīhi in a large bowl and beat for about 1 minute, until smooth. Tāpirihia te kirīmi kawa, marahihi māpere me te iho hūperei, ka kaurori anō kia māene ai. Add the sour cream, maple syrup and the vanilla essence and beat again until smooth. Fold in the cooled melted chocolate and the cooled gelatine mixture.

Whakapāhukahukatia te kirīmi me te puehu huka kia kukū. Whip the kirīmi and puehu huka until thick. Fold in the whipped cream in three parts until well combined. Pour the mixture over the prepared base and return to the fridge to set for 45 minutes. Then make the delicious tiere poihanapere.

The Boysenberry Jelly | Te Tiere Poihanapere 

500 g frozen boysenberries / kia 500 karamu poihanapere tio
3/4 cup sugar / kia toru hauwhā kapu huka
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar / kia whā kokonui winika balsamic
1/4 cup lemon juice / kia hauwhā kapu wai rēmana
1/3 cup water / kia hautoru kapu wai
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine / kia toru kokoiti paura tetepe

METHOD

Place the poihanapere tio and huka in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the winika and simmer for another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into a large sieve set over a bowl. Use a spoon to push it through the sieve, discarding the seeds (my whanau like to eat them!). Stir the wai rēmana into the strained boysenberry mixture.

Raua atu te wai me te paura tetepe ki rō kapu, ā, whakaranuhia. Add the water and gelatine powder to a cup and mix to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes to bloom. Microwave the bloomed gelatine on high for 20 seconds, then stir through the fruit puree. Pour over the chilled chocolate filling.

Chill for 2 hours before serving, then finish it off with fresh cherries or a sprinkling of freeze-dried fruit. If you want to keep it in the fridge for a few days before serving just place the whole cheesecake (in the tin) in a sealed container. It will keep well for up to 5 days.

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Recipes extracted from Whānaukai: Feel-good baking to share aroha and feed hungry tummies by Naomi Toilalo (HarperCollins NZ, HB, RRP $50). Photography by Sarah Henderson.