If you have tasted our zebra pound cake then you know it’s delicious but this zebra cheesecake will take everything to a higher notch especially if you are a cheese lover. This cake is soft with the flavours of both cheese and chocolate. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cold butter chopped in small pieces, 1 egg, vanilla sugar and baking powder then knead everything with your hands for about 5 minutes until you get a smooth dough.

Transfer the dough in a greased and flour springform pan and line the dough evenly on the bottom and sides of the pan. Once done, place the pan in the fridge for the dough to rest. For the cheesecake filling, add 250 grams of sugar in a large mixing bowl together with 125 grams of softened butter and 5 eggs then with an electric whisk, mix the ingredients for about 3 minutes until you get a smooth mixture with all the ingredients combined.

Add the cream cheese or curd and mix it until combined then transfer half of the curd mixture into another bowl. Into half of the cream cheese mixture, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and mix until the mixture is evenly chocolatey coloured. Bring the chilled pan and start adding the batter in it.

Alternate the two batter spoon by spoon until the whole batter is finished then bake the cheesecake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180C) oven for 60 minutes. Once baked and out of the oven, allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes then release it from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. Slice the cake and serve.

Ingredients;

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 250 (8.8Oz) grams flour
• 125 (4.4Oz) grams of sugar
• 125 (4.4Oz) grams cold butter (in small pieces)
• 1 egg
• 1 sachet vanilla sugar
• ½ sachet baking powder

Cream cheese mixture:

• 1 kg (35.2Oz) Cream Cheese or Curd
• 250 (8.8Oz) grams of sugar
• 125 (4.4Oz) grams of soft butter
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions;

1. Put all the ingredients for the shortcrust pastry in a mixing bowl and knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
2. Transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan and line the bottom and the sides of the pan evenly with the dough.
3. For the cream cheese mixture, add soften butter, sugar, 1 packet vanilla sugar and 5 eggs into a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy then add 1 kg of cream cheese and mix until everything is well combined.
4. Transfer half of the cream cheese mixture into a separate bowl and add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to half of the mixture and stir in until you get a smooth chocolate batter.
5. Bring the prepared pan and fill the white and chocolate curd mixture alternately in the centre of the prepared springform pan until all the batter is finished.
6. Bake the cake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 60 minutes.
7. Once baked, let the cake sit in the pan for about 15 minutes before releasing the cake from the springform pan and let it cool on a wire rack before you slice and serve.