Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake

I love cheesecake. I can’t think of another dessert that tastes as rich and creamy. I plan to try every cheesecake recipe I get my hands on. Usually, I make a white chocolate cheesecake (original recipe). Everyone in my family loves it and it’s always a crowd pleasure. The other day I was flipping through Taste of Home Baking and my eyes fell upon the chocolate mocha cheesecake. It was love at first sight. Within hours I had returned from the store will all the ingredients needed and it was time to bake!

Look at it. Look at the Oreo crust, the chocolate cheesecake, the mocha cheesecake, the pure chocolate topping. It’s beautiful. It’s the chocolate lovers dream.

I used about 10-12 Oreo cookies and ground them up in a small chopper a few cookies at a time.

The plain cheesecake batter tasted perfectly sweet. Adding the chocolate really set it off though.

I used Folger’s Classic Roast for my coffee flavor. I bet a different flavor (hazelnut, caramel, etc…) would taste amazing too.

The chocolate cheesecake was nice and thick. It was super easy spreading it onto the Oreo crust without messing it up.

You’ll want to be very careful when adding the mocha cheesecake portion. Lay it on thick and be gentle when you spread it around.

Now, I’m not sure if it was the foil, the water bath, or the Crisco but my cheesecake didn’t stick AT ALL to the sides of the pan. This picture is from the next morning, there was some condensation that I dabbed off with a paper towel. You can see that the cheesecake isn’t even touching my pan and that’s before I opened the spring.

Mmm. More chocolate and butter. Have I mentioned that this recipe may not be too healthy? Oh. Well never mind the calories. Your tastebuds will be screaming with excitement… surely that will drown out the voice in your head trying to count calories.

The chocolate goes on nice and easy. Shake the cake a bit to even out the chocolate. Cover the edge with chocolate chips, chocolate covered coffee beans, or nothing at all.

Now run off to the store. You know you want to. There’s no way you can spend another day without this amazing cheesecake in your life. Did I mention it’s beautiful? Definitely a must for get togethers. People will rave about it. Trust me.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
• 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
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
• GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Chocolate-covered coffee beans, optional

Directions

• Place greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
• Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of prepared pan. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.
• Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
• Bake at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Garnish with coffee beans if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings.