I have a lot of recipes which I think are really good or are a family favorite. This recipe I have to say is restaurant quality. It is a cheesecake I could see being a best seller at The Cheesecake Factory. It is so good. My son requests it every year for his birthday.
I got this recipe years ago out of a Taste of Home magazine. I don’t know what it is about cheesecake, but I might even venture to say I tear out almost every recipe for any type of cheesecake I see. I like cheesecake. What can I say! This cheesecake, however, is the best one I have ever made.
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| Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake |
CRUST
1 1/2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (Oreos)
1/4 cup butter, melted
FILLING
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon boiling water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted
GLAZE
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
Chocolate-covered coffee beans, optional
DIRECTIONS
Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion and pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter and pour over chocolate layer.
Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 16 inch square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Place the cheesecake pan into a large baking dish and place in the oven. I use a cookie sheet with deep one inch sides. Carefully add 1 inch of hot water to the larger pan to make a water bath. Be careful not to get the level of the water higher than wherever the edge of your foil is on your pan.
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| You don’t want the water to get inside your foil! |
Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool one hour longer. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
When you are ready to serve, melt chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until smooth. Remove sides of pan. Spread over cheesecake. Garnish with coffee beans, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.
If you have never made a cheesecake before, this is a good recipe from which to start. A lesson I learned many years ago is to always make your cheesecake the day before you are going to eat it. Most cheesecakes take about an hour to bake and a hour or two to cool. Also, most recipes want the cheesecake to sit in the refrigerator overnight for the cheese to firm up. I learned this the hard way once!
I really hope you will try this recipe. It is absolutely out of sight!