Orange chocolate cheesecake

For a little indulgence, try this orange chocolate cheesecake.

Ingredients (serves 8 to 10):
150g digestive biscuits
50g castor sugar
80g butter, melted
3 packets (226g each) cream cheese, softened
225g sugar
5 eggs
3 tbsp orange juice (extract juice from about half a Barnfield orange)
1 tsp orange zest
100g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Orange glaze:
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup icing sugar, sifted

Method:
1. Place biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until they become fine crumbs.
2. Combine biscuit crumbs, sugar and butter. Place mixture in a 22cm springform pan and press to form a biscuit base. Bake at 180 deg C for 10 minutes.
3. Place cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition, until blended. Blend in orange juice and zest.
4. Meanwhile, to melt the chocolate, put it in a heat-proof bowl, and place over a pot of boiling water (medium-low heat).
5. Place 375ml (1 and 1/2 cups) of cheese batter in a bowl and stir in melted chocolate. Pour the rest of the plain cheese batter over the biscuit base.
6. Drop a few tablespoonfuls of chocolate batter onto the plain cheese batter. Use a knife to carefully swirl the batter to create a marble effect.
7. Bake at 160 deg C for about 1 hour or until the top is slightly browned and centre is almost set.
8. When ready, use a butter knife to run around the rim of the cake. Allow to cool, and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving.
9. Optional: To make the orange glaze, blend orange juice and zest with icing sugar in a food processor until well combined. The glaze should be quite runny. Add more orange juice if necessary. Brush the glaze on top of the cheese cake and garnish with thinly sliced oranges.

Tips:
1. To melt the chocolate, placed the chopped pieces in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and stir until melted - make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the boiling water, otherwise it will get too hot and ruin the texture of the chocolate.
2. After you take the cake out of the oven, run a butter knife around the cake tin to ensure that the centre does not crack. It is important to chill the cheese cake before serving, or it might become soft.

Recipe source: Today newspaper