Rhokett Caramel Cheesecake (Waitrose)

There's a dessert that's been haunting me for ages.. a cheesecake that's been on my mind since I first discovered it whilst researching Rhokett 16 months ago. The rarely spotted caramel slices has been supposedly stocked in Sainsbury's stores across the country, but Hereford didn't even get a sniff. I once found them, but it was in an extra store on a trip to Birmingham, and at the time I didn't think they'd survive the journey home -plus I was sure they were going to crop up sooner or later*. I guess I was right, it was just much much later, and in a different supermarket: Waitrose. At £3 for two 100g slices they're on the dear side, but I recall thinking that the Belgian chocolate flavour were worth the money and so I hope these would be too.

"A winning combination from Rhokett that really delivers on that traditional texture, raised to the next level by the Belgian chocolate chunks and the smooth caramel sauce that have been swirled through the mix before baking."

They were beautiful slices, l give Rhokett that, however they were very fiddly to retrieve from the packet -so please be careful if you buy them. 

I expected a rich toffee tone to the cheesecake, so was utterly perplexed when I tasted it and was met with a similar cheesecake batter used in the chocolate slices. That's to say it was creamy with a slight sour tang, but it was completely devoid of the caramel flavour that I'd longed for. Humf. What I hadn't realised was that the sole source of the caramel came from the toffee sauce, but unfortunately there wasn't a huge deal of it, and it certainly wasn't the generous pockets of thick dulce de leche that I had concocted in my imaginings. 

Oh the plus side, the chocolate chunks were both aplenty and delicious -although I can't help but feel that due to the lack of caramel that fudge pieces may have suited the slices better. 

I was also pleased that I'd saved the biscuit base until last as it was the only part I thought that Rhokett truly nailed. Thick and buttery with a classic digestive biscuit flavour, it held together enough to make it from fork to mouth, but crumbled easily upon munching. It just wasn't £3 worth of biscuit base. 

7/10.

* I even ended up sending poor Nat (author of Lot-o-Choc) on a hunt for them before my train arrived into New Street station when meeting her in Birmingham last month.

Rhokkett Belgian Chocolate Cheesecakes (Waitrose)

I've had my beady eyes on these Belgian chocolate cheesecakes for a while, continually hoping that I'd find them displaying a satisfying reduced sticker at the end of the day. At £3.09 from Waitrose, they're much dearer than the luxury supermarket's own brand Belgian chocolate cheesecakes (£2.00), but they looked so beautiful! Despite my persistence I eventually gave up on my bargain quest and eventually stumped up the full price. 

Rhokett is the love child company created by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes and chef patissier Martin Dockett and specialise in cheesecakes. I'm sure you'll agree that they are beautiful with their dark chocolate biscuit base, tantalising chocolate chunks, and carefully feathered chocolate topping.

"This delicious indulgent cheesecake has a piped chocolate ganache through the centre and Belgian chocolate pieces throughout.
Classically made using rich cream cheese then decorated by hand before being baked to deliver that true classic cheesecake flavour and texture - chocolate Heaven."

I'm pleased to report that they tasted as good as they looked. The cheesecake was rich, yet light, with a good balance between sweet and tart. The chocolate chunks added a welcome crunchyness, whilst the ganache was silky smooth. 

My favourite part of cheesecake is always the base, and I was expecting the soggy bourbon biscuit affair that is commonplace amongst mass-manufactured cheesecakes. Instead I discovered a crisp, crunchy bottom with a punchy hit of cocoa. The biscuit held its shape well, and crumbled easily once nibbled.

I'm on a learning curve with regards to getting what you pay for and I must agree that the premium price of the Rhokkett cheesecake is well earned. 

Waitrose also stocks Rhokett's strawberry cheesecakes, although I'll always choose chocolate over fruit! Rhokett's website informs me that the company also makes a caramel cheesecake, but I haven't seen it stocked anywhere. Any ideas? 

8/10