Jan 18, 2010

Cappuccino Cheesecake with Fudge Sauce



Ever wonder what would happen if Starbucks and The Cheesecake Factory hooked up? Say…on your counter top? Well, wonder no more. I’ve discovered nothing less than their lovechild.

For our last few days with family in Florida, I saw it only fitting to make something indulgently delicious to remember our stay. So we welcomed the New Year with this coffee, chocolate and fudge-lover’s dream dessert. It was my first stab at cheesecake, and I must admit, I was a bit nervous. Cheesecake seems so delicate. But I was pleasantly surprised by its simplicity. Although, I’m sure that having my mom’s stand mixer and infinite knowledge of baking by my side helped just a bit.

Now if you read my previous post, you know I was in no mood to bake on New Year's Day.  I was exhausted. But I was also on a mission. A mission that, once completed, promised lots of dark chocolate fudge sauce. So we strapped on our aprons, wiped our drool off the recipe and got to work.

First was the crust, which sadly forced me to crush dozens of innocent teddy grahams. Quite a cruel task. But for the sake of an amazing cheesecake, I pressed on. (Pun absolutely intended.) After patting the crumbs, butter and sugar into the pan, it was ready to be baked. (Which we unknowingly overlooked and skipped. Luckily, no harm was done to the final product.)

 

 

 

 

 

The cheesecake layer was next, and was an effortless step with just a bit of measuring and pouring. Although a warning: Don’t premix ingredients unless the recipe so instructs. I mixed the espresso powder, vanilla and cinnamon together before adding them to the batter. But before I got the chance, they formed into a rock-hard piece of candy that took quite a bit of extra time to break up in the mixer.

And by the way, if you try this recipe and have trouble finding instant espresso powder, Target sells little packets of Starbucks instant extra bold coffee. (You'll need two.) I discovered these after endless searching when I made the chocolate lava cakes. And I highly recommend espresso over instant coffee if you want a prominent coffee flavor.

 



 

Appropriately, the most delicious step came last. The step that allowed me, without guilt, to dig a spoon deep into a jar of dark chocolate fudge sauce. And I tell you, it took all my courage not ditch the swirls and instead scarf down the entire jar right then and there. But my family was grateful that I controlled my cravings, spared the cheesecake, and added the final touch to my creation. I think my husband was the most grateful, because at the end of this step, he got to lick the spoon clean. And the measuring cup. And the knife.







A little over an hour later, our cheesecake was done. It cracked a bit in the middle, which was supposedly normal, and actually looked kinda neat. After cooling, into the fridge it had to go for…gasp….eight hours. There was NO way we could all wait that long. You try telling three grown men and two chocolate-obsessed woman they have to wait until midnight to enjoy a cheesecake that's sitting in the fridge two feet away.

 

 



When we could take it no longer, I sliced it up, drizzled on the sauce, and in a matter of minutes, our mouths were stuffed with cappuccino cheesecake, and our lips were covered in fudge. It would have been even better if we chilled it for the full eight hours, but...it was simply delicious. Seriously, were you expecting me to say otherwise?



 



Luke and I each ate one piece, but unfortunately, the next night was our last night in Florida, and we ate out with friends. Could we seriously leave with only one taste? No way. So after a big breakfast Sunday morning, just minutes before we headed for the airport, we scarfed down one more. Nothing like a little fudge sauce in your teeth to make the bitter goodbyes a little more sweet.

 


Cappuccino Cheesecake with Fudge Sauce
Cooking Light, September 1999
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2  cups reduced-fat chocolate wafer crumbs (about 50 cookies)
3  tablespoons  butter or stick margarine, melted
2  tablespoons  sugar
Cooking spray
1  cup  sugar
3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
2  (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese
2  (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2  large eggs
2  large egg whites
2  tablespoons  instant espresso or 1/4 cup instant coffee granules
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1 1/2  cups  fat-free hot fudge topping, divided

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Place 1-cup sugar, flour, and cheeses in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add espresso, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat well. Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust; spoon 4 mounds of fudge topping (2 tablespoons each) onto cheese mixture; swirl mixtures together using a knife. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250° (do not remove cheesecake from oven); bake an additional 1 hour or until almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven, and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon fudge topping onto each of 16 plates; top each with 1 cheesecake wedge.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 313 (30% from fat), Fat: 10.3g (sat 5.9g,mono 3g,poly 0.7g), Protein: 9.9g, Carbohydrate: 44.1g, Fiber: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Iron: 0.7mg, Sodium: 468mg, Calcium: 130mg.

16 comments:

Carrie said...

popping in from SITS to say Hi! Have a great day.

Mandi Miller said...

I'm not into coffee flavored stuff but that looks absolutely DELICIOUS!! My mouth is watering right now for some of it!

Unknown said...

wow! your blog looks delish!
will have to browse it all!

thanks for your nice comment on my blog!

becisvintage said...

Take it from a chocolate/coffee lover.....this was the best cheesecake ever! And by the way, thanks for leaving the rest of the cheescake. It was gone before your plane landed!

Ma What's 4 dinner said...

My kids are sitting with me right now as I read this recipe and fell in love with idea of making it...especially because of the Teddy Grahams! We'll be making this soon. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the idea!

And thanks for stopping by my little spot of the cyberuniverse.

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner?
www.MaWhats4Dinner.com

Anonymous said...

You are making me so hungry!!!!

Stopping in from SITS!

Lorie said...

Everything about that looks divine! And I never thought about using chocolate teddy grahams as a crust! I usually just buy the chocolate graham crackers, but I think this would be better!

Thanks!

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Oh my!! That is some kind of purtay!! Very nice photography work too. Will have to poke around here some more.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Lori said...

Ummmm...I want some of that right now...That looks yummy, yummy!

Thank you for sharing my SITS day with me.

~Lori

Rachel said...

Thanks for all the sweet comments...Oh, and the chocolate teddy grahams were definitely great for the crust. I recommend!

Tina L. Hook said...

Okay. UM. DROOLING. If my Hubs ever reads this blog he might start yearning for greener pastures.

Unknown said...

Wow--your blog is AWESOME. Really great helpful pics--reminds me of the Pioneer lady can cook. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I am going to keep checking you out--although I think I gained some weight just looking at that cheesecake! You make it look so easy!

life and kitchen said...

Um HELLO cheesecake! I don't care that I hate coffee, this cheesecake just might change my mind. It looks awesome!

Heather said...

i am so glad i kept scrolling down. this looks to-die-for. i have a major sweet tooth and this is right up my alley! looks like you just got a new follower : )have a great weekend

Unknown said...

Yum!!! Sounds (and looks) so delicious - you did a beautiful job! I keep instant espresso powder on hand as I have a few recipes that call for it. I've always found it in small jars in the instant coffee section in the grocery store.

Erica said...

droooool! My FIL would love this! Btw- you must remove the "I cannot cook" note on your blog- it looks like you're pretty talented to me

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