Chocolate Kaluha Cheesecake

We make this recipe all the time and receive rave reviews.  Most recently, we gave out samples and recipe cards at The Portland Women’s Show and people wanted to know where they could buy it.  For those of you who didn’t get a recipe card at the show, here’s the recipe – enjoy!!

Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake

Prep Time:  20 minutes
Total Time:  2 hours
Difficulty:  Stiletto
Serves 12-16

Crust Ingredients:

1 ½ cups chocolate cookie wafer crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
2 Tablespoons sugar

Filling Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips- divided
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup + 2 tablespoon Kahlua or coffee liquor
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix crumbs, butter and sugar. Press onto bottom and halfway up sides of a 9 in. springform pan. Freeze 5 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

Turn oven up to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup chocolate chips over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and add ¼ cup whipping cream and ¼ cup Kahlua and stir until blended. In an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, cocoa and sugar until fluffy.  Add first mixture to second and blend well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Pour into prepared crust and bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Decrease oven to 275 degrees and bake another 45 minutes. Remove from oven cool on wire rack.  Loosen cake from rim of pan and remove.

Melt remaining 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips. Add ¼ cup whipping cream and 2 Tablespoons Kahlua. Mix well. Spread on top of cake and refrigerate about 6 hours or until set. Before serving, beat remaining ½ cup whipping cream and add the powdered sugar.  Garnish cake with cream.