Chocolate Cheesecake

Source: Mother Myrick’s Confectionary, modified by Jon Dubovsky

Yield: 12 servings

Rating: 4 of 5 - rich and creamy

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 ¼ c. chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
• 5 T. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 10 oz. Swiss Dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 lb. cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ c. fresh-brewed hot coffee
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• boiling water, for baking cheesecake

Topping:

• 1 c. heavy whipping cream
• 1 T. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• grated chocolate, for garnish
• chocolate coffee beans, for garnish

Directions

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the side from a 9” by 3” springform pan. Trim a 9-inch cardboard cake circle so that it fits snugly within the curved lip of the pan. Cover the cardboard and the bottom of the pan with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhand all around the edge. Carefully attach the side of the pan so you do not tear the foil. Wrap the foil overhand halfway up the outside of the pan. (Lining the bottom of the pan in this way will give the cheesecake an even flat base, making it easy to remove from the pan.)
• Lightly butter the side of the pan. Using two 15-by-12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil, tightly wrap the outside of the pan.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and melted butter, stirring until well combined.
• Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.
• Melt the chocolate.
• In a 4 ½ quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at low speed for 30 to 45 seconds, until creamy.
• Gradually add the sugar in a steady stream and beat at medium speed until blended.
• At low speed, one at a time, add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
• Dissolve the salt in the hot coffee.
• At low speed, slowly beat in the coffee.
• Beat in the vanilla and then the chocolate.
• Using a rubber spatula, scrape the side of the bowl and beat for 30 seconds.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

• Place the cheesecake in a roasting pan on the lower rack of the oven.
• Pour boiling water into the roasting pan so that the water comes halfway up the side of the springform pan.
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the center is firm.
• Leave the cheesecake in the roasting pan in the oven and turn off the oven. Prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for an hour.
• Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan. Cool the cheesecake in a pan on a wire rack.
• When the cheesecake is completely cooled, cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. The cheesecake may be prepared up to this point and refrigerated for up to one week.
• Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the side of the springform pan. Remove the side of the pan. Slide two metal cake spatulas under the cheesecake and transfer it to a serving platter.

• In the chilled 4 ½ quart bowl of an electric mixer, using the wire whip attachment, beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla at medium speed until stiff peaks start to form.
• Reserve 1 cup of the whipped cream mixture for piping a garnish. Scrape the remaining whipped cream onto the top of the cheesecake. Using an offset metal cake spatula, spread the whipped cream in an even later over the top of the cheesecake.
• Sprinkle the top of the cheesecake with grated chocolate.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large closed star tip (such as Ateco #5) with the reserved whipped cream. Pipe a border of swirled rosettes around the inside edge of the cheesecake. Decorate the outside edge of the cheesecake with chocolate coffee beans.
• Cut the cheesecake with a sharp, thin-bladed knife, dipping the blade in hot water and wiping it dry after each use.

Notes

• This recipe is heavy on the chocolate. A better choice seems to be 6 oz. of German chocolate and 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate.
• For a lower-fat variant of this recipe, replace 4 eggs with 2 eggs and 2 eggs of egg substitute (Egg Beaters, etc.), replace butter with margarine, and replace half of the cream cheese (½ lb.) with fat-free cream cheese. You can use normal whipping (not heavy) cream for the topping, but it does not keep as well (one or two days at a maximum).