I know I’ve been a little AWOL lately. The holidays wore me out, and I found myself in a bit of a recipe rut afterwards. But over the weekend I got into the kitchen and made this insanely delicious cheesecake, and I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you guys!
Rich, decadent, and chocolaty – pretty much all the points I expect to be touched by a good cheesecake. It baked beautifully, not splitting or cracking. It had a nice height too, which I love…there’s nothing more pitiful than a severely squat cheesecake.
The addition of espresso and Kahlua added a real depth of flavor to the chocolate, which isn’t that much of a shock. Whenever I bake a chocolate dessert in the kitchen, the recipe almost always includes coffee, in one form or another…
I served with a Kahlua whipped cream and garnished with crushed up chocolate covered espresso beans. The little bites of crunchiness against the smooth creaminess of the cheesecake was divine!
Definitely a keeper.
Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake
For the crust:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
For the cheesecake:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
8 oz. semisweet chocolate
2 Tbsp whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup Kahlua (or another coffee liquer)
2 tsp vanilla extract
chocolate covered espresso beans, chopped (for garnish)
For the Kahlua whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp Kahlua (or another coffee liquer)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On the bottom rack, place a 9×13 pan and fill with hot water (this creates a make-shift steam bath) and place the other rack in the middle position. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
To make the crust, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, butter, 2 Tbsp sugar, and the cinnamon. Mix well and press mixture into the buttered springform pan, set aside.
In a double boiler combine the chocolate and heavy cream. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar, mixing until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat at low speed until very smooth. Carefully add chocolate mixture, blend well. Stir in sour cream, salt, coffee, coffee liqueur, and vanilla; beat until combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake over the pan of hot water for 45 minutes. Center will be soft but will firm up when chilled. Turn off oven, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake rest with the door ajar for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 12 hours.
To make the whipped cream combine the heavy cream and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add in the coffee liquer and increase the speed to high, beating for another 20 seconds or so until stiff peaks form.
Slice the cheesecake and serve with the Kahlua whipped cream and the chopped chocolate covered espresso beans.
Souce: adapted from Allrecipes
