Friday, July 9, 2010

tiramisu cheesecake

Sorry I've been remiss in posting. I made this cheesecake a few weeks back at the request of a friend. He always asks for cheesecake and then another friend wanted chocolate (not my 1st choice in deserts). This combo of ideas (cheesecake and chocolate) made me think of tiramisu. I didn't think tiramisu actually met his request, so I adapted the idea to a traditional NY cheesecake.

Tiramisu Cheesecake

12 oz. ladyfingers, crumbled
4 T. butter, melted
15 T. coffee flavored liqueur
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
8 oz. mascarpone (or sub ricotta)
1 T. instant expresso
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
4 T. all-purpose flour
1 oz. semisweet chocolate square, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.
2. Crumble the ladyfingers in a food processor (or by hand). Mix crumbs with melted butter. Moisten with 5 T. of coffee liqueur. Press into the bottom of a 9 in springform pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar until smooth. Add the instant expresso and remaining 10 T. coffee liqueur. Mix. Add the eggs and the flour; mix slowly until smooth. Do not over-mix. If cheesecake batter is too thick (mascarpone consistency can vary) add a little cream. Pour batter into crust.
3. Place pan on middle rack in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Turn off the heat, and open the oven door. Leave cake to cool for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to finish cooling. Refrigerate for three hours or overnight. Immediately before serving, grate the semi-sweet chocolate on top.