Mocha Cheesecake

Were you wondering what we had for dessert yesterday?

It was too good to share a post with the lasagna.

Did I mention I'm not really a cheesecake fan? Cause I'm totally not. But if it has chocolate and coffee in it, all is right and I love it. This was delicious. Mommom was taking the slices to each person and one was bigger than the first 3, so I said to give it to one of the guys. She said, "The guys all have theirs. This one's mine!" :-)

Don't worry. I'll share. Come visit me!



Mocha Cheesecake
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 10

Crust:
2 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers
2 T butter, melted
2 T water + more if needed
Cooking spray

Filling:

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa

1/3 cup coffee-flavored liqueur

4 (8-oz) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup sugar
1 T all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules

Topping:
2 T coffee-flavored liqueur
2 T semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other milk)
2 T powdered sugar
3/4 tsp instant coffee granules
16 chocolate-coated espresso beans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

For the crust, combine the chocolate crumbs, melted butter and water in a small bowl. Add more water if necessary to make a moist but firm mixture. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan, pushing about 1" up the sides all the way around.

For the filling, combine cocoa and Kahlua, stirring to remove lumps. In a mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla. After mixture is well combined, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour in cocoa mixture and combine.

Pour mixture into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cheesecake is set when the center barely moves when you touch the pan.  Remove from oven and run a knife around outside edge to loosen. Cool on a wire rack until at room temperature. Cover and chill in pan at least 8 hours. Remove ring from pan before serving.

Melt chocolate chips and combine with coffee-flavored liqueur, powdered sugar, instant coffee granules, and milk. Add more milk or powdered sugar to reach proper consistency. It should drizzle off the spoon when you lift it. Drizzle over cheesecake and garnish with espresso beans. Serve with remaining topping and additional espresso beans.


Chocolate-Mocha Cheesecake