Shortly after the publication of my first book, a small local publisher approached me about doing a series of single subject dessert books with 13 recipes and color photos. I was to receive editorial consulting credit – not authorship. Essentially, I and my assistant at the time, Brenda Newman, were to develop great recipes, turn them in and move on.

We first produced a book of chocolate recipes and then tackled the cheesecakes. To this day, I could not say I had one favorite. I love cheesecake in any flavor and think all the recipes we developed were special. However, being an espresso lover this is truly favor.

This is not the easiest cheesecake to make because it has two layers:  a cool one is added on top of a partially baked hot one!  So there is technique involved. So the trick to getting a perfect top layer is to pour the top batter around the inside of the rim, over the inch or two of coffee batter that is set – even if that means pouring it over itself. Gravity will do the rest and help the plain vanilla batter flow evenly over the center.

Plan to serve this cake the day after it is made. It really needs an overnight rest in the refrigerator. The book packager had it styled with chocolate curls on top. I think grated chocolate looks just as nice and is much easier to make. A drizzle of chocolate sauce wouldn’t hurt either.

Makes 8 servings

Chocolate Crust

1-2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
1 package (8-1/2 oz) chocolate wafer cookies, finely ground
Pinch salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter

Filling
2-1/4 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup whipping cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
5 eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely ground
¼ cup brewed espresso or double-strength coffee
3 tablespoons Kahlua or Tia Maria
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Garnish
1 piece (about 2 oz) semisweet chocolate, room temperature (for garnish)

For the Crust

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan evenly with softened butter; set aside.

Mix cookie crumbs, salt, cinnamon and melted butter in a bowl. Stir and toss with form until dark, glistening and no light patches remain.

Spoon slightly more than half the crumb mixture in an even ring in the bottom of the pan next to the vertical side. With fingers, work crumbs up the side all around, turning pan gradually until side is evenly covered with crumbs. Press crust firmly against the side of the pan (the back of a spoon may be better than fingers.)

Pour remaining crumb mixture into center of pan. Working from the center outwards, distribute crumbs to cover bottom in an even layer. Press firmly against bottom.

Check to seal the bottom and side of the crust all around the pan so there are no gaps at the joint. With a small, sharp knife, trim top of crust even with top rim of pan to make a smooth edge.

Refrigerate crust for 5 minutes only. Bake 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. DO NOT turn off oven.

For the Filling

Cut cream cheese into 1-inch chunks and put in a large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl until completely smooth. Continue beating on low speed, gradually adding cream, then vanilla, then sugar and continuously scraping down sides of bowl, until mixture is smooth. Then beat in eggs, about ¼-cup at a time, scraping down side of bowl to keep mixture smooth.

Transfer 3 cups of the vanilla batter to a 1-quart measuring cup or medium bowl for the topping; stir I lemon juice. Set both bowls of batter aside.

Combine the ground chocolate and espresso in a small saucepan. Stir over very low heat until chocolate is melted. Cool the coffee mixture to room temperature; stir in Kahlua. Slowly beat the chocolate mixture into the large bowl of batter — for the “espresso” layer — until smooth and no streaks remain.

For First Baking Stage

Pour espresso batter into crust. Gently rotate pan several quarter-turns to settle batter. Bake until sides are set but center is still slightly liquid, about 35 minutes.

For Topping and Second Baking Stage

Reduce oven temperature to 325-degrees. Carefully remove and transfer springform to wire rack away from drafts.

Slowly and carefully pour the reserved 3 cups of plain vanilla batter only over the set edge of the espresso layer all around — let the batter flow from the side to the center on its own. (DO NOT pour batter into center or batter may break through).

Return pan to oven. Bake until center of cake is just set, about 35 minutes.

Finishing and Garnishing

Return springform to wire rack. Leave cake undisturbed until sides and bottom are cooled to room temperature. Release spring form side, using a thin knife to help it along and remove it carefully. Refrigerate cake uncovered overnight or at least 8 hours.

Make chocolate curls by drawing the blade of a chef’s knife at an angle across the surface of the room temperature chocolate. Or grate chocolate. Garnish each piece separately with curls or grated chocolate.

Notes from Moi

• Chocolate wafer cookies have been made as long as I can remember by Nabisco. If you cannot find them, scrape the centers off Oreos and use them. But the wafers taste better, I think so they are worth a hunt if necessary (sometimes old-fashioned plain cookies can be difficult to find in supermarkets).

• Yes, you can substitute a graham cracker crust but I don’t recommend it. First, you lose the drama of the dark crust. Because this is a conceptual cheesecake: grounds, coffee, foam, you also lose the concept with graham crackers.

• Do you need the Kahlua? Maybe not. I do. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor and the alcohol evaporates in the oven so if you smoosh a little into the baby’s mouth on the end of your finger, it won’t be a problem at all (or just give him the vanilla).

• Cheesecakes require room temperature ingredients. If you don’t want lumps in the batter, leave the cream cheese out for 2 hours before starting the recipe. The beating is either slow or medium – don’t try to speed it up (I’ll explain why not) – and methodical. The more you scrape down the side and bottom of the mixing bowl, the smoother the batter will be.

• The reason cheesecakes aren’t done on high speed is that beats in air that causes them to soufflé – or rise too much – in the oven. When they fall, they crack or sink into a crater like configuration with sides that are way higher than the center. The perfect cheesecake has a gentle slope (the picture above is what this one should look like, seriously).

• Removing the springform rim. This can get tricky. Personally, I don’t try to take it off like a sweater, over the head of the cake. I put the cake on a large can (there is probably leftover pumpkin or a can of plum tomatoes that would work). Then loosen the rim and ease that off the edge and down. Support that rim as it goes down so it doesn’t take a chunk of the crust with it. Don’t rush this either – wait until it’s at room temperature so there’s no danger of getting burned by a hot pan rim.

• If everything has gone perfectly – as it should – try to restrain yourself when the cake comes out of the oven. Don’t touch it. Don’t move it once you set it down until it’s completely cooled, and try to keep it away from drafts. The surface tension on a cheesecake increases as it cools. If it cools too fast, it can crack. If it sits in a draft it can crack. I might crack anyway but I’ve learned to maintain a “hands off” policy and not help it along by fiddling with it.

So that’s it, coffee lovers.

Jane F. created the recipes for The Perfect Cheesecake, a small dessert cookbook published many years ago but now unavailable. Recipes from this series will appear on Atticmag from time to time so they can continue to be made, enjoyed and shared by everyone.

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Tags: cappuccino cheesecake, coffee desserts