Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

We interrupt this regularly scheduled cookiepalooza post to bring you this breaking news–we had a Ratskellar birthday this past weekend! And you know what that means.

Cake time! Birthdays call for cakes, even when you’re up to your eyeballs in cookies. Especially the birthdays of very important people, like my Dad, who just happened to turn 51 years young this weekend. I didn’t get the opportunity to make Dad a birthday cake last year for his big 5-0 (we were at the happiest place on earth, where they were not so happy about me bringing a bakery cake to their fancy pants restaurant) so I needed to make it up this year, big time.

When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen right after Thanksgiving I knew immediately that I needed to make it for Dad’s birthday, simply based on the adjectives Deb used to describe it– “ridiculous”, “richest thing ever to come out of the smitten kitchen”–these all seemed PERFECT for Dad. He IS a bit of a chocoholic. And of course there was that challenge at the end of the recipe–”Because if you know anyone who can eat more than a one-inch wedge of this cake, I might need to meet them. I might have to shake their hand.” Well, Dad did it, so when he meets Deb, I want to come along for the experience!

Cappuccinno Fudge Cheesecake
Adapted from Bon Appetit, via Smitten Kitchen

This recipe deserves a warning–it is super rich and super chocolatey. Even chocolate lovers like Dad had to pause mid-slice to take a breather. Oh yeah, and it might be the most involved thing I’ve ever made. It took me the better part of a morning to assemble and bake, three hours to cool in the fridge, and then another hour to decorate (piping ganache is HARD!). And it’s supposed to rest for 24 hours so the flavors can meld. So if you are going to try to make this, make sure you give yourself plenty of time and be patient. Also, I suggest having a whole gaggle of people–say 30 odd holiday party guests–on hand to help you eat this. Because although you may be able to eat a whole slice, you will not be able to eat this whole cheesecake alone!

But despite the effort and the richness, it is so worth it. Dad called me again last night to thank me.

Crust

• 1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies (like Famous Chocolate Wafers)
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter

Ganache

• 1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
• 20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Filling

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (I didn’t have any so I used more Kahlua)
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee crystals
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 3 large eggs

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

A handful of chocolate covered espresso beans (the little packet from Starbucks was perfect!)

Directions
Make crust: Finely grind cookies, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers (don’t skip this or you will have crumbs all over your fingers!) and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan. Don’t worry if the sides aren’t even, it won’t show in the final cheesecake.

Make ganache: Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan. Place chocolate and Kahlúa in a heatproof bowl, pour simmering cream over chocolate. Allow to sit for one minute, then whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour 2 cups ganache over bottom of crust. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes–this is about the time it will take you to assemble the rest of the cheesecake. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for decorating.

Make filling: Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended. Scrape down bowl, then beat in flour. Stir Kahlua, espresso powder, vanilla, and molasses in small bowl until instant coffee dissolves; beat into cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

Pour filling over cold ganache in crust — it will completely fill the pan. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center two inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about one hour (mine took 70 minutes). Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool 15 minutes while preparing topping

Make topping: Whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely. Bake until topping is set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about three hours.

Release pan sides–if it seems like the cheesecake is stuck, run a knife around the edge. Transfer cheesecake to serving platter. Spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Decorate as you please! I went with the lattice look done by both Deb and Bon Appetit. Chill until ganache is firm, at least 6 hours.

Before serving, allow cheesecake to warm slightly. This will avoid the situation we had, where we couldn’t quite make it through the solid as a rock ganache layer at the bottom of the cake. After a few minutes of warming though, cutting was MUCH easier.

And once again–HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I’m already starting to thing about NEXT year’s cake, cause this one is going to be hard to top!

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