My father loves cheesecakes as much as he loves crabcakes. He is getting used to (not to say tired) to the latter but will probably never lose his sweet tooth for a creamy slice of cheesecake. Usually he would come into the restaurant and order a slice of the one I had prepared that day. He was always curious of my combinations or fillings, whether it be fruits, liqueurs or curds. My parents have been visiting for almost three weeks and I realised Friday that I had not made one for him yet. It is really no big deal for me to make one, I have used the same recipe gazillion times and even tired after a long outing I really don’t mind baking one.
When I asked him about what flavor he wanted, he simply answered "coffee". What? no extravagant or decadent concoction? No. Just coffee. Allright, as a good daughter I would oblige but only if I can use real espresso and some Kahlua.
I can’t tell you where the original recipe comes from, it is a sort of "I got it from a chef who got from a chef who got it from a chef" kind of story. I love it because you can use the fillings and toppings of you choice and you can be as creative as you wish and it never cracks or fail.
Coffee Cheesecake, original source unknown.
For the Crust:
16 Oreo cookies, crushed up
3 Tb. melted butter
Mix the butter and cookies and pat them into a springform pan, previously lined with parchment paper.
For the cheesecake:
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup espresso
1/4 Kahlua
Mix together the cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time an mix well after each addition. Add the espresso and liqueur.
Pour into prepared pan. Wrap the pan with foil and set it into a large roasting pan, fill halfway with water and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, the middle needs to be wiggling a little. Remove from water and cool completely. Better made the day before you plan to serve it.
To remove the cake from the springform bottom, invert on plastic wrap, using a hair dryer or a blowtorch, heat the inverted pan bottom. The cake should losen up from the base. Remove the bottom and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Discard the plastic wrap.
Note: I had a wonderful visit with Cheryl and Griff in Savannah, and plan to post about it soon, I just want to make sure the are allright with the pictures I took.