Signature by the Lake
Amaretto Cioccolato Espresso Cheese Cake
Crust
9 ounces graham crackers
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoon Cocoa powder (I use Hershey)
Filling
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (I use Medaglio D'Oro)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I use Hershey)
2 Tablespoons Amaretto (I use di Saronno)
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Preparation
Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray pan with vegetable oil spray. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and cocoa and process until blended. Press mixture onto bottom and partly up sides of prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Make filling:
Combine cream and coffee powder in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until coffee powder dissolves. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate; whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in Amaretto. Cool 10 minutes.
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Whisk 1 cup cheese mixture into chocolate mixture. Return chocolate mixture to remaining cheese mixture; whisk until smooth.
Pour batter into crust. Place springform pan in large baking pan. Bake cheesecake until softly set and slightly puffed around edges, about 1 hour. Cake should be nicely browned, but still showing slight movement in the center when shaken. Turn off oven. Let cake stand in oven 45 minutes. Transfer springform pan to rack and cool completely. Cover; chill cake overnight.