Chocolate Kaluha Fantasy Cheesecake

I have to admit that this is by far my favorite cheesecake of all time.  Just the mere mention of the cheesecake will make people get a glazy eyed dreamy happyplace look on their faces in which I refer to a Homer Simpson moment.  A lot of people are intimidated by making cheesecakes, but, follow my directions, this cheesecake is not difficult.  I originally found this recipe in a cookbook published by a group of California Home Economics teachers and changed it up a little bit.

Chocolate Kaluha Fantasy Cheesecake

Crust

1 1/3 cups Chocolate wafer cookies, crushed (I use 1 pkg. chocolate graham crackers and 6 Oreo cookies)

¼ cup Butter, melted

 

Cheesecake Filling

¼ cup Kaluha

1½ cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/3 cup Sugar



2 - 8 oz. pkgs. Cream Cheese, softened
¼ tsp. Salt
1 cup Sour cream
2 Eggs (room temp. mixed in small bowl)

Chocolate/Kaluha Drizzle Topping

1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup Kahlua

1/3 cup Light corn syrup

Prepare a 9" springform pan by placing a piece of parchment paper in the bottom and will go up the sides ever so slightly (this will allow you to remove from the pan easier).  Criss cross two pieces of aluminum foil and set springform pan on top and bring up sides to provide a barrier from water.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Boil water in a teapot when about ready to place cheesecake into oven.

Crust:  In a 9" springform pan, mix the crust ingredients and press into bottom and sides (you can use a flat bottom glass or measuring cup for this process).

Filling: In a small mixing bowl, add Kaluha, chocolate chips and butter and microwave for about 1 minute stirring at 30 seconds until all the chips have melted; set aside to cool.  Using a mixer, beat sugar and salt, and cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream and mix until totally mixed.  Mix in eggs until just incorporated with the rest of the mixture (see note).  Gradually mix in chocolate mixture making sure to scrape the sides down to blend completely. Carefully pour mixture over crust being careful not to disturb the crust. Place cheesecake into a larger shallow baking dish (like the bottom of a broiler pan)  Place pan in oven and pour the boiling water carefully and slowly into the pan until it is about 1/2" up the side of the pan.  Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes (cheesecake should be set and "jiggly" like a jello mold. Remove from oven carefully and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour; refrigerate for several hours uncovered, preferably overnight.  Remove springform pan and place onto serving platter/dish.

Topping: Heat ingredients in a mixing bowl for about 1 minute stirring at 30 seconds until  the chips have melted.  With a whisk stir briskly until it goes from a speckled mixture to a smooth glossy mixture.  Cool.  Spoon over whole cheesecake or over individual cheesecake slices.

NOTE:  Overmixing cheesecake mixture after adding the eggs and over baking may cause your cheesecake to crack.  But in this case, it's not a big deal because of the topping.

Prepare springform pan with parchment paper and crust



Melt chocolate chips, butter, and Kaluha, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add sugar, salt and cream cheese and mix until smooth.

  

Add sour cream and continue mixing

Mixture should appear velvety smooth

Add chocolate mixture

Mix until mixed well

At low speed, add eggs mixing until just incorporated.



(I used two small springforms pans just for demonstration) Place in oven and pour boiling water slow and carefully about 1/2" deep.



Prepare drizzle topping



After cheesecake has cooled, you can either add the drizzle topping to the whole cheesecake, or, to each individual slice (or both) you will have lots of extra drizzle leftover maybe a spoon or two in your cup of coffee?