Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

from ButterYum

makes a 10-inch cheesecake (16 servings)

Ingredients

Crust:

    • 9 ounces chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

    • 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

    • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

    • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Ganache:

    • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

    • 20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

    • 1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Filling:

    • 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

    • 1 1/3 cups sugar

    • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

    • 2 tablespoons rum (light or dark)

    • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

    • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

    • 2 teaspoons molasses

    • 4 large eggs, room temperature

Topping:

Directions

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

    1. Pulse cookie crumbs, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, nutmeg, and melted butter in a food processor.

    2. Press crumb mixture evenly into a 10-inch springform pan, across the bottom and up the sides until it reaches 1/2-inch from the top of the pan. Chill until needed.

TO MAKE THE GANACHE:

    1. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

    2. In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer.

    3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate and Kailua; rest for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.

    4. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups ganache over bottom and sides of chilled crust and freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.

    5. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for garnish.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

    1. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center position.

    2. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth.

    3. Add flour, rum, espresso powder, vanilla, and molasses, beat until smooth, then add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.

    4. Pour filling into crust and place springform pan on rimmed half sheet pan.

    5. Bake for 1 hour, remove from oven and transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack for 15 minutes while preparing the topping. Don’t turn oven off yet.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:

    1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.

    2. Pour evenly; return to oven for 10 minutes.

    3. Remove from oven and transfer cheesecake to cooling rack until pretty cool, about 3 hours.

TO DECORATE THE CHEESECAKE:

    1. Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides and transfer cheesecake to platter.

    2. Using a pastry bag and tips of your choice, pipe ganache in a lattice design on top of the cheesecake, and pipe a decorative border around top edge and garnish with coffee beans, if desired.

    3. Chill until lattice is firm, about 15 minutes. Keep chilled in an airtight container.