Chocolate Milo Basque Cheesecake

There are some things that are just permanent fixtures in your kitchen. You can count on them to always be in the cupboards and just before they have enough time to completely run out, a fresh one magically takes its place. In my kitchen, rice is one of those things. Having at least two different types on the go at once is very normal, (jasmine and basmati in case you wondered) ready to be thrown in the rice cooker for most weeknight meals. On the sweet side of things, I always, always have a tin of Milo.

If you’re not familiar, Milo is a malty cocoa drink that you can have hot or cold and is quite popular in large parts of Africa and Asia. Growing up, summertime meant tablespoons of Milo mixed with ice cubes, and condensed milk for something refreshing with an extra scoop dusted on top for a bit of crunch. For the rest of year, it was our hot chocolate equivalent, despite not actually being super chocolatey or very sweet.

In the spirit of all things chocolate this Valentines and Galentines weekend, I’ve incorporated some of my beloved Milo into a silky smooth basque cheesecake that’s not overwhelmingly chocolate heavy. And I’m sending this out a day earlier than normal so you have enough time to make it!

I don’t normally use a biscuit base for my basque cheesecakes but I think the thin layer of bourbon biscuits works really well here to mimic the crunch you get from Milo granules.

Baking this cheesecake hot and fast gives that signature browned top and just cooked middle. If you’ve never made one before, it will look ridiculously wobbly when you take it out of the oven but don’t panic! I promise, as it cools and chills in the fridge, you’ll be rewarded with a smooth, just set middle.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

I discovered last week that not all Milo is created equally. If you’re in the UK, you’ll be able to find it in the African section of the world food aisle in most big supermarkets; more often than not, these tins are made in Ghana. But if you go to the regular hot chocolate aisle, the Milo on the shelves is the Singapore made version. Both will work perfectly fine in this recipe but I do prefer the Ghanaian tins as that’s the flavour I’m used to (it has also has nearly double the amount of malt extract too).