Mocha Blanca Cheesecake

Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 65 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

This chocolate- and coffee-flavored cheesecake, with a hint of Kahlua®, is baked in a cocoa and vanilla wafer crust.

Ingredients

1 cup crushed vanilla wafers
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (such as Kahlua®)
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, grated
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon coffee-flavored liqueur (such as Kahlua®)
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1 To make the crust, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon cocoa; toss with a fork to mix. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the pan bottom in aluminum foil. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
3 Grate or finely chop the semisweet chocolate and put it into the top of a double boiler. Place over hot water. When almost melted, remove from heat and stir until completely melted. (Chocolate can also be melted in a microwave in 30-second increments, stirring frequently.) Set aside.
4 Combine cream cheese and 1 cup sugar; mix with an electric mixer until well blended.
5 Dissolve coffee powder in 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur. Add the coffee mixture and the cooled melted chocolate to the cream cheese batter; mix until combined.
6 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the filling into the prepared crust; tap the pan on the countertop to smooth the surface and settle the batter.
7 Place springform pan in a large baking dish. Place baking dish on oven rack; carefully pour boiling water into the baking pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
8 Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour.
9 Remove the pan from the oven, and remove the springform pan from the water bath; discard any remaining water.
10 For the topping, stir together the sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon coffee liqueur and 1 teaspoon of cocoa. Spread over the top of the hot cheesecake. Return cheesecake to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
11 Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.