Espresso Cheesecake

This is one helluva good cheesecake. Nice, smooth, chocolaty goodness. Although baking is not my forte, I figured I’d give this recipe a shot since I love cheesecake of any kind. If you like cheesecake, you’ll love this espresso cheesecake. It’s a nice change of pace with the addition of espresso and chocolate. The texture is very smooth and creamy and the crust, made with biscotti, adds a nice contrast since it’s a little crisper than a traditional graham cracker crust. Not being able to find espresso biscotti, I used chocolate biscotti and it took 9 to make 1 1/2 cups. The 5 tablespoons butter was just the right amount to moisten the crumb mixture. I do not have a stand mixer so I used my hand mixer with no problems. Just be sure the mixture is very smooth. I baked the cheesecake for 50 minutes and it came out just right. I let it cool till I could pick it up with my bare hands, about 1 hour. Then I placed it in the fridge. As a side note, when I got up this morning, I realized the ring was still on the cheesecake yet almost half of it was gone. My son said he could not help it—he could not stop eating it. After finding out how easy it is to make cheesecake at home, I will definitely be making this again.

Everyone loved this espresso cheesecake. It’s easy to make, rich, and full of flavor. I had difficulty finding coffee or chocolate biscotti to use for the crust, so I substituted almond biscotti and they worked well. I also found that 5 tablespoons butter wasn’t quite enough to moisten all the crumbs, so I melted 1 tablespoon more to help keep it all together. To ensure a smooth filling in a cheesecake, I always pour the cheese mix into the springform pan through a fine strainer, which guarantees no lumps in the mix. After baking the cheesecake for 1 hour, it seemed set with just a jiggly bit in the middle. I took it out and allowed it to cool for 1 hour, and then refrigerated it for another 2 hours before serving. When I cut into it, the bottom held together very well. My tasters said the cheesecake was smooth, rich, and that the balance between chocolate and coffee flavors seemed to work well. All in all, a winner dessert.

This is a delightful cheesecake for coffee and dessert lovers—silky, luscious, tangy, with just the right amount of sweet. The espresso cuts the richness of the cheese and imparts that extra kick. The chocolate biscotti crust perfectly complements the espresso cheesecake filling. I used store-bought chocolate biscotti. I whipped the filling on high for an extra couple of minutes to ensure smoothness and fluffiness. One can definitely taste the smooth and airy results in the end product.

In our family, one of our favorite desserts is cheesecake. No matter what we are celebrating, be it a holiday or birthday, the treat of choice is always cheesecake. This recipe tempted my taste buds​ because ​not only am I a huge cheesecake fan, I also love my espresso, so naturally I just had to try this recipe. If you’re not a strong coffee lover, don’t shy away from this rich, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth dessert. The espresso-chocolate flavoring is light and not overbearing at all. I would encourage you to just enjoy it plain.​ ​If you’re looking for a cheesecake that packs a huge espresso flavor, this may not be the recipe for you.But if you’re looking for a versatile cheesecake that can be dressed up in a number of ways and is not plain​ Jane​, this is the one!​ ​For the crust, I used store-bought chocolate biscotti (with hazelnuts) for the crust. Making this cheesecake was simple and straightforward. My first try at this recipe was a success. I will definitely try this recipe again, but with different toppings. In fact, I’m about to serve it up with some chocolate sauce. Yum.​ ​Next time I will definitely try an espresso biscotti instead to bring out more of the coffee flavor​.​ I think this cheesecake would benefit from a little dressing up. To enhance the chocolate fla​vo​r, how about a drizzling of dark chocolate sauce? Or to freshen it up, perhaps a raspberry coulis topped with fresh raspberries? Or even more decadence with mocha whipped cream and toasted chopped nuts?

Espresso cheesecake…mmmmm! This entire espresso cheesecake recipe will take about 35 minutes hands-on time and another 50 to 60 minutes to bake it. First, I melted the chocolate, and as that was melting, I made the crust. I used store-bought chocolate chip biscotti to make 1 1/2 cups ground biscotti (I bought an 8-ounce box and needed a little more than 2/3rd of it so about 6 1/2 ounces). While the crust was baking, I cooled the chocolate and made the cheesecake filling. It’s fast, but only if you’ve already brought your cream cheese to room temperature. (I leave it out the night before and make the cheesecake anytime the next day.) It takes a few minutes—10 or so—to cool the chocolate and the crust. I baked the cheesecake in an electric oven. Don’t use a convection setting or your cheesecake will get a huge crack right down the middle! Jiggle the cheesecake after 45 minutes, and if it’s really soupy, bake it a little longer. Mine “felt” ready after 50 minutes, and it continued to bake after I took it out of the oven, so don’t be shy about taking it out while it’s fairly jiggly. The cheesecake will have a wonderful texture (not grainy) if it is undercooked-looking when you take it out of the oven. This recipe turned out a cheesecake that’s creamy, has lots of depth, is not too coffee-ish, and not too chocolate-y. It’s incredibly delicious!

I am not a fan of cheesecake. I find it too rich and heavy. But this espresso cheesecake has managed to change my opinion drastically. It’s definitely a swoon-worthy cheesecake that needs to be top on my list of go-to desserts. The bitterness of the espresso balances the sweetness of the cake really well. It was well worth the effort that went into making it. The cheesecake came together very easily and the directions were quite precise. I chilled it for a couple of hours before I cut into it. I relied on store-bought mini biscotti. (I used 24 of them and ground them in a food processor.)