Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Cheesecake

By Gloria Kobrin Published: May 18, 2015

• Cuisine: American
• Course: Dessert
• Skill Level: Moderate

• Yield:

• 9 inch cake or 12 mini cakes + one 8 inch cake (10-12 Servings)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 12-15 crackers
• 2 tablespoons sweet butter softened
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate melted
• 4 large eggs separated (place whites in large mixing bowl and yolks in smal bowl))
• 1 1/4 pounds cream cheese softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure Vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2-3 tablespoons Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 bar semi sweet chocolate

Equipment

• 1 9 inch springform pan
• 1 electric mixer
• 1 handheld electric mixer
• 3 mixing bowls 1 large, 1 small, 1 medium
• 1 large rubber spatula
• grater

Directions

1. Grease sides and bottom of pan with softened butter. Take about 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs and sprinkle them around the sides of the pan. Press the remaining crumbs onto the bottom. Set aside.
   
2. Put cream cheese, salt, vanilla, and seven ounces of sugar into bowl of electric mixer. Beat together until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks. Beat again. Be sure to stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add melted chocolate and espresso powder. Beat again to be sure everything is completely mixed together.
   
3. Beat egg whites in large mixing bowl until they just begin to hold their shape. Add three ounces of sugar gradually and beat until whites are stiff. Set aside.
   
4. Pour one cup of heavy cream in remaining mixing bowl. Using the same electric beater you used to beat the whites, beat the cream until stiff. Start beating on slow and wait until cream begins to thicken before raising the speed. Doing it this way will prevent you from getting splattered! Pour whipped cream over beaten whites. Scrape all the chocolate cheese mixture over the whipped cream and whites. Sprinkle flour over the top. Gently, fold all the ingredients together. Be careful not to deflate the whites.
   
5. Preheat oven to: 325° F. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 75 minutes. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR. Turn off the oven after 75 minutes but leave the cake inside an additional three hours. Remove cake from the oven and chill thoroughly in the pan.
   
6. Unsnap the springform pan and carefully push the bottom through to the top. Sometimes, it is tricky getting the cake off the bottom of the pan. I often wrap the chilled cake in waxed paper and foil and freeze it on the bottom. Once frozen, I place a long spatula underneath the cake and lift it off.
   
7. To serve: Defrost cake 3-4 hours before decorating it. Insert a cake tester to be sure it has completely defrosted.
   
8. Beat remaining cup of heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners sugar one tablespoon at a time while continuing to beat. Taste. Add more sugar until it is as sweet as you like it. Spoon the whipped cream into the center of the cake and create peaks with a rubber spatula. Shave chocolate on the shaving part of your grater over the top. Serve cake chilled.