Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

1 ¼ C graham wafer crumbs

½ C white sugar

¼ C cocoa

6 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:

3 X (250 g) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

¾ C white sugar

3 eggs

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

¼ C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 C whipping cream

1 tbsp. honey

Crust: combine the graham wafer crumbs, sugar and cocoa and stir in the butter. Press onto the bottom and 1″ up the sides of a prepared 9″ springform pan and set aside.

Filling: beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and beat just until combined. Stir in the melted chocolate chips, almond extract and vanilla and mix just until blended. Pour over the crust. Bake at 350°F for 45 – 50 minutes or until the centre is set. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until completely cool.

Topping: in a saucepan over a low heat, combine the chocolate chips, whipping cream and honey and stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove the sides of the springform pan and pour the topping over the filling. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.