Guest Cooks!

Over the holiday weekend, my sister-in-law and one of my sisters had occasion to make this scrumptious dessert. I still need to ask her which cookbook she was using. Mom also made her famous apple pie and a pumpkin pie. At my father's request, I made another batch of Sweet-Potato and Orange Puree with Almond Streusel to go with the turkey dinner we had earlier that day.

Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecake

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 packages of 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
12 oz. of bittersweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled
3 eggs
1 cup ( 8 oz.) sour cream
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Glaze:

4 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream and toasted chopped hazelnuts, optional

In a bowl combine crumbs, hazelnuts, and butter; press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add chocolate; beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in sour cream, extracts, and salt; pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until center is nearly set. Cool to room temperature. For glaze melt chocolate and cream in microwave or double boiler; stir until smooth. Add vanilla. Carefully run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan; remove the sides of the pan. Spread glaze over top. Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with whipped cream and hazelnuts if desired. Yields 16 servings.

Notes: I'm told the cooks used 8 oz of semi-sweet and 4 oz of bittersweet in the cake, and wholly substituted semi-sweet in the glaze. Also, there were no hazelnuts in the glaze. Were I to make it, I might give it a try with some really high quality bittersweet chocolate, but this sure did come out rich and creamy enough to satisfy any cheesecake lover.

Posted by Jennifer at December 31, 2005 09:49 AM | TrackBack