Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake With Ganache Recipes

Steps:

• Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan., In a large bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, butter, sugar and espresso powder. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of prepared pan., In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, melted chocolate, cocoa, half-and-half and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the espresso powder and vanilla. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake at 350° until center is just set and top appears dull, 60-70 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan., In a small saucepan, combine liqueur and half-and-half. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form., Drizzle cheesecake with coffee syrup; garnish with whipped cream, chocolate and coffee beans.

Steps:

• Prepare the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together cookie crumbs, butter, and sugar in a medium bowl until well blended. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.
• Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan on a wire rack, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Prepare the Cheesecake: Beat cream cheese with a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and flour, beating until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating on low speed just until yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
• Divide batter into 2 equal portions in separate medium bowls. Pour 1 portion into prepared crust; spread evenly.
• Place Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on medium (50% power) until melted and smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
• Stir together coffee liqueur and espresso granules in a small bowl until espresso dissolves; stir mixture into remaining bowl of cheesecake batter. Stir melted bittersweet chocolate into coffee batter until blended.
• Gently pour over plain cheesecake batter in prepared crust, and spread evenly. Pan will be very full. Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake at 325 degrees F until center is almost set but center still jiggles slightly when pan is prodded, 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil and chill 8 to 12 hours. Gently run a knife or offset spatula around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. Remove sides of pan.
• Prepare the Topping: About 1 hour before serving, bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium. Place Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips in a small heatproof bowl; pour cream-syrup mixture over chocolate chips. Let stand 1 minute. Whisk gently until smooth. Cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Pour chocolate mixture over top of cheesecake, and gently spread to edge of crust. Chill until set, about 30 minutes. Garnish if desired.

Steps:

• Place your chopped chocolate in the bowl of your stand mixer.
• Place the espresso beans in a sealable gallon-size bag (or between two pieces of parchment) and crush them with a rolling pin. Combine the heavy cream and espresso beans in a small pot and heat over medium-low heat until simmering. Remove from the heat, cover the pot and allow the cream to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the cream through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a clean pot. Return the cream to medium-low heat and bring back to a simmer.
• Pour the warm cream into the bowl of chocolate. Add the coffee liqueur if using and the salt. Gently stir the mixture with a spatula until smooth. At this point you can pour your ganache or you can cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. To reheat, gently heat in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring frequently, until fluid again.