I’m not sure where to begin. I was looking for a really good cheesecake recipe to since I was entertaining guests and I stumbled upon this recipe. I of course made tweaks here and there and everywhere and the end results was O.M.G. I had people eating this cheesecake that “hate cheesecake”.
The keys to this dessert is to use quality ingredients, a food processor and bake it in a water bath.
Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups Oreo cookies smashed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages softened cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Bailey’s (or other Irish cream liqueuor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces dark chocolate (Ghirardelli or Callebaut)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin to bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the spring form pan in the middle of two large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Bring the foil up the sides of the pan. Crimp the pieces together around the pan. Make sure it is tight and secure so no water gets in during the baking process. Combine smashed Oreo cookies and butter together in a bowl. Press into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
While the crust is cooling, use a food processor* and cream together soft cream cheese and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, being sure to scrape down the sides after adding each egg. Add in flour and cocoa powder. Add in the Bailey’s, sour cream and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until smooth and silky. Pour over cooled crust.
* So some of you maybe asking why a food processor? The why is because you do not want to add any air bubbles into your cheesecake. In order to get a smooth and silky cheesecake you need to keep the air out of the cheesecake mixture.
Place cheesecake into a roasting pan. Place in the oven and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, quickly close the door. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until the cheesecake is set. The middle will still be jiggly. Turn off oven, keep oven door closed and allow cheesecake to cool 1 hour in oven. It will finish cooking during this time. This will also stop your cheesecake from cracking.
Remove cheesecake from oven, carefully remove it from the water bath. Remove the aluminum foil, being careful of any water that may have worked its way in.
Chill cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, use a knife to gently loosen the cheesecake. Remove the sides of the pan.
To prepare the ganache, place the chocolate in a bowl. Then heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it is almost boiling. Remove from heat, and pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 30 seconds. (same way you make truffles) Then stir until the chocolate chips have melted and are mixed in well. Pour over the top of the cheesecake. Put back in the fridge and in 30 mins it is ready to serve!
Get ready to eat the best cheesecake ever!
I am a girl who loves food. I grew up with a Mom who was an excellent cook. She wrote a cookbook when I was a child, and as they say, the rest is history. Started a catering business in 2005 and haven’t looked back. I am a mom to 2 beautiful girls and I want them to love food as much as I do. In the meantime, I love life and love my job @ http://www.monicaskitchen.com
For The Love Of Food 