Cheesecake may just be the perfect food.  It is certainly one of the oldest on record.  It is believed that cheesecake was served to the Olympic athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C.  Any food with that kind of staying power just has to have something to it.

Perhaps it’s the ability of cheesecake to be modified in so many ways. Cheesecake is adaptable.  It can be made in any number of different flavors and textures, from light and fluffy with a hint of vanilla to incredibly dense and savory, the cheesecake has been with us since the beginning of Western history and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be leaving us very soon, especially with flavors like the ones in the cake pictured above.

My guests for Christmas requested only three things.  Turkey, ham and a chocolate cheesecake.  That’s a simple request if I’ve ever heard one and I was happy to oblige.  Initially I was going to make a simple chocolate cheesecake, but the gift of 8 oz. of German milk chocolate and the thought of my favorite coffee drink made me decide to go in a different direction.  It turned out to be a fated decision, as this is by far the best tsting chocolate cheesecake I’ve had to date.

I had picked up Coffee Liqueur and Creme De Cacao with the intention of posting the recipe for my cafe mocha (coming soon) and the smell of the cheesecake batter reminded me of that drink, so a few quick additions to the custard were all it took to turn what I’m sure is a phenomenal recipe into something extraordinary.

Chocolate Cafe Mocha Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For Cheesecake:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreo Cookies (about 20 cookies)
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 24-oz cream cheese (3 packages), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 oz. milk chocolate, melted, slightly cooled
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. Creme De Cacao
• 1 tbsp. Coffee Liqueur

For Ganache Topping:

• 8 oz. dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. Creme De Cacao
• 1 tbsp. Coffee Liqueur

Method:

Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees if using a silver 9″ springform pan or to 300 degrees if using a dark nonstick 9″ springform pan.  Mix crushed cookies and butter; press firmly onto bottom and sides of pan.  Bake 10 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, Creme De Cacao and Coffee Liqueur with electric or stand mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add chocolate and mix well.  Add eggs, one-at-a-time, mixing on low speed until just blended.  Pour over crust.

Bake 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set.  Run a sharp knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake. Cool to room temperature before removing rim of pan.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before topping.

Ganache icing:

Place chocolate chips in a small heat proof bowl. heat cream in a small saucepan over low heat until just boiling.  Immediately pour cream over chocolate.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Mix well with a wire whisk or silicone spatula.  Add Creme De Cacao and Coffee Liqueur, stir to combine well.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or until ganache is stiff but not set.

Assembly:

Remove ganache from refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.  Stir to loosen slightly. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator and level the top with a very sharp knife if necessary.

Gently spread ganache icing from center of cheesecake to edges. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Share and Enjoy!

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

I think I managed to overcook this cake a little.  The sides puffed up a good inch higher than the center, which made the icing a necessity once the cake was leveled.  It was a happy accident though.  The ganache icing adds an entirely new dimension to the already rich flavor of this cheesecake that we all enjoyed very much.

You’ll want to be sure to serve this one just slightly chilled or at room temperature.  Straight from the refrigerator the coffee liqueur is a bit overpowering, but it mellows and plays nice with everything else at room temp.

Be warned, this is a very dense cheesecake and it doesn’t slice “pretty”  Just overlook that and go for it anyway.  It’s more than worth it!

Links to other recipes like this:

• Chocolate Cheesecake, from Closet Cooking
• Plum Crazy Chocolate Cheesecake, from InnCuisine
• Chocolate Almond Cheesecake, from Kelly at Sass & Veracity

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My wife entered a cookie contest last week.  These bad boys won first place in the chocolate cookie recipe category, as best chocolate cookie recipe.  So when I tell you these are more than good, I have a panel of judges to back me up.  These bars are sweet, succulent and definitely something we’ll be making all year long, but they are perfect for a Holiday buffet, so don’t pass this recipe up when you are planning your Thanksgiving or Christmas cookie baking!

This is a simple recipe, an even though I usually shy away from anything that uses a mix, in this case I’ll gladly make an exception.  They make in a snap, don’t cost much and are suited for the novice baker (read: me).  The results are fabulous, the oooh-and ahhhh factor is pretty high on the list.  Just place a pretty pyramid of these on a shiny platter and back out of the way.  But I suggest you make two batches if you want any for yourself!

I could talk forever about these, but I think I’ll just let the recipe speak for itself.  It’s that good!

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This post really isn’t really a recipe, it’s more of a HowTo.  It just didn’t seem to fit any other category.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,  I’m not really a baker at heart. I can bake, but the process of measuring everything knowing full well if I mess up by just 1/4 tsp somewhere could ruin my whole afternoon is just a little frightening to me, but I manage.

Once I have managed to bake something that comes out well, I’m then faced with more baking skills that I’m not entirely comfortable with, like cutting cake layers in something like an even and eye pleasing way.  My first several attempts at this were abysmal at best.  Oh, the cakes were good, but they weren’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination.

My saving grace?  The crafts section at the BigScaryMegamart.  I bought a set of square wooden dowels designed for crafting and viola!  I’m a perfect cake slicer!

The trick here is to find a pair of dowels that are almost exactly 1/2 the height from the base of a cake layer to the point at which the cake starts to dome.  Once you’ve got the proper dowels, just place on either side of the cake layer and cut carefully through the center.  There you have one perfectly level cut.

Now just slide the bottom out of the way and repeat the procedure on the remaining piece. (which, if everything went right should be 2/3 the height of the slice you just made.)  Discard the top, or better yet, save it for Parfait!

I hope this little trick helps someone else out this year when we’re all pounding out cakes for the holidays.  I know that it’sa  lifesaver for me.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Who doesn’t love cheesecake? If made properly it is decadent, creamy, fluffy and just sweet enough to satisfy the cravings of any sweet tooth. It can be made in a variety of flavors, and toppings are always welcome. It plays well with others and finds its place easily as the star dessert at back yard barbecues and five star restaurants.  It’s just that good. The only problem with it is that I have a tendency to eat way too much of one kind and don’t have room to sample others. This little recipe solves all that.

These mini cheesecakes are tiny.  They are perfect for appetizers or if served in all of their possible variations, as a perfect dessert sampling menu. Go crazy with toppings and you could serve a seven course dessert without breaking a sweat. Trust me, the Oooh’s and Ahhhs you’ll get will be worth the effort.

The inspiration for them came from a recipe by Giada DeLaurentis, but as usual, I found Giada’s original version somewhat uninspired.  Oh, they were good, but they weren’t jaw dropping, and they were more labor intensive than this variation. The original called for orange zest, but for my tastes it just didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, so i swapped out for vanilla.  The results were superb.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Everyone has certain foods that remind them of their youth. A taste or smell that takes you back to a time when your biggest worries were things like what to wear to school on Monday, or whether that certain someone would actually look at you in a classroom. A time when things were a bit simpler, when Saturday mornings were the only time to watch cartoons and you waited all week for it.

I may be dating myself a bit here. I’m sure some of my readers had Cartoon Network when they were young, or had other pursuits. Regardless, I think you get the idea. For me, one of those foods that takes me back to those times is the simple, unassuming All-Bran Muffin.

The Kellogg’s company began printing recipes on the sides of its cereal boxes in 1916, so as far as I am aware, the recipe for this little slice of wonder has been located on the side of the All-Bran® package since the name was changed from Krumbles sometime before 1920. Advertising for the All-Bran Muffin exists from 1920, so it has definitely been around for quite some time, and with good reason!

The variations on this classic are endless. But for my tastes you just can’t beat the original, as it’s printed on the side of every box. Enjoy with a little jam, honey or fruit. Or, if you’re a southern boy like me, just spread a little butter in a nice warm muffin and have at it!

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Popularity: 2% [?]

I wanted to make something special for Mrs. seat of her Pants this Valentine’s day, not just your run-of-the-mill dessert. I must have hit every site on Google before I stumbled on this recipe. I was looking for a way to use up some of the Sherry or Sweet Marsala we have lying about, but this just looked so decadent that I had to do it.

It’s also my entry for Sugar High Friday #28, hosted by the lovely jasmine over at Confessions of a Cardamom Addict. If you were planning on entering, you’ve only got 4 days to get your entry in!

Let me warn you in advance, this is by no means low calorie or diet friendly. This is a heavy cake with a rich flavor that will linger on your palate for quite a little while. Not too sweet, but definitely all kinds of chocolaty satisfaction.

The sauce recipe is my own adaptation, mostly due to a lack of ingredients, but I think it’s probably a better compliment than the original would have been.
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So simple, yet so satisfying. Pound cake has got to be the simplest recipe in the baker’s repertoire. A pound of flour, a pound of sugar and a pound of butter. How in the world this simple set of ingredients becomes something as sumptuous as the cake Mrs. seat of Her pant made this weekend I’ll never know. but I’ll enjoy it!

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