Cappuccino-Fudge Cheesecake

I spotted this Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake on Smitten Kitchen recently and, after reading the most tantalizing description, hoped an opportunity would soon present itself so I could make it.  To my delight, a dinner invitation was extended to our family shortly thereafter.  The cheesecake was a huge hit and several dinner guests proclaimed it to be the best cheesecake they'd ever eaten.  Plan ahead, this cheesecake should be made at least 1 day ahead (or up to 4 days ahead).

I used a plain round tip to pipe the lattice design and a star tip to pipe the decorative edge.

Important Tip: Don't let the piped ganache border chill against the springform pan because the cold ganache will glue the pan and cheesecake together like cement.  To avoid this, I removed the pan sides before piping, wrapped the naked cheesecake with a long strip of parchment paper, then piped the border and chilled the cheesecake until the ganache was firm before carefully peeling the parchment away.  For a clean presentation, each cut I make into any cheesecake is done with a sharp knife that has been warmed with hot water and dried.

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

makes one 10-inch cheesecake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 9 ounces chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Ganache:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Filling:

• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 1/3 cups sugar

• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons rum (light or dark)

• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder 

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons molasses

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Topping:

• 16 ounces sour cream

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish

Directions

To make the crust:

1. Pulse cookie crumbs, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, nutmeg, and melted butter in a food processor.

2. Press crumb mixture evenly into a 10-inch springform pan, across the bottom and up the sides until it reaches 1/2-inch from the top of the pan. Chill until needed.

To make the ganache:

1. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

2. In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer.

3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate and Kailua; rest for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.

4. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups ganache over bottom and sides of chilled crust and freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for garnish. 

To make the filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center position.

2. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth. 

3. Add flour, rum, espresso powder, vanilla, and molasses, beat until smooth, then add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.

4. Pour filling into crust and place springform pan on rimmed half sheet pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove from oven and transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack for 15 minutes while preparing the topping. Don’t turn oven off yet.

To make the topping:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.

2. Pour evenly; return to oven for 10 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and transfer cheesecake to cooling rack until pretty cool, about 3 hours.

To decorate the cheesecake:

1. Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides and transfer cheesecake to platter.

2. Using a pastry bag and tips of your choice, pipe ganache in a lattice design on top of the cheesecake, and pipe a decorative border around top edge and garnish with coffee beans, if desired. 

3. Chill until lattice is firm, about 15 minutes.  Keep chilled in an airtight container.

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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Hubby loves chocolate.  Hubby loves cheesecake.  I love Hubby.  Happy Birthday Hubby.

This is a fantastic chocolate cheesecake - not only does it taste A-MA-ZING, it bakes evenly without cracks and you don't have to fuss with a water bath.  Plan ahead and prepare this cheesecake at least a day before you want to serve it.  After baking, it will need several hours to rest and cool before chilling overnight in the refrigerator.  We think it gets better with age, so make it a few days in advance if you wish.

Items used to make this recipe:

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• food processor https://amzn.to/2YpubmU

• Oreo cookies https://amzn.to/2VgVYUJ

• leakproof springform pan https://amzn.to/2Hey0FE

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/2VYkPkt

• beaterblade attachment for stand mixer https://amzn.to/2Hj4G12

• professional stand mixer https://amzn.to/2vWYzZw

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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

makes one 9-inch cheesecake (makes 12 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 9 ounces cream filled chocolate cookies (like Oreos), ground in food processor

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted

Topping:

• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

• 4 ounces heavy cream

• Garnish: blanched and chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions

To make the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a food processor, process cream-filled cookies to fine crumbs (cream filling and all).

3. Add melted butter and combine; press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

4. Place springform on a half sheet pan and bake crust for 10 minutes.

To make the filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the BeaterBlade attachment (or the flat paddle), beat together on low speed the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and salt; scraping sides of bowl if needed.

2. When mixture is silky smooth, add eggs, one at a time; scraping sides of bowl if needed. Finally, add the room temperature sour cream, followed by the melted chocolate; mix on low until combined; scraping the bowl if needed.

3. Pour mixture into springform pan and return to the oven for 1 hour.

4. Make ganache and blanch optional pistachios while cheesecake is baking (directions below).

5. After the cheesecake has baked for an hour, turn off the oven and do not open the door for another hour, then open the door slightly for one more hour (that's a total of 3 hours so far).

6. Finally remove cheesecake from oven and rest on counter until completely cool.

7. Top with cooled ganache and optional pistachios, cover with plastic or place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight preferred before releasing the springform sides from the base. For neat slices, heat and dry knife blade between cuts.

To make ganache topping:

1. While the cheesecake is baking, prepare ganache by bringing cream to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

2. As soon as the cream boils, remove from heat and stir in chocolate; stir to combine.

3. Pour ganache into a bowl; cover with a tea towel and allow it to rest until the cheesecake has cooled completely (several hours).

To blanch pistachios:

1. Put shelled pistachios in boiling water; remove from heat and wait 1 minute.

2. Drain and rub with a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. You can use the pistachios right away, or toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they're fragrant (just a minute or two).

3. Cool and chop.

adapted recipe form Martha Stewart

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