Baked espresso coffee cheesecake
A super rich, dense, and creamy coffee cheesecake, atop a chocolate biscuit base, topped with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and lashings of caramel.
For the sibling's birthday.
Let's be real - for me, in this household, birthdays are just excuses for cake, and/ or excuses for me to make cake. For the record, I ain't mad about that.
I asked the sibling what they wanted, knowing that they usually request a cheesecake. This year, they requested a coffee cheesecake, which I would like to think is partly as a result of me making a dalgona coffee cheesecake for my own birthday last year (but is probably untrue).
I honestly used to be so scared of making cheesecakes - the first time I made one was in 2018. The mother had made cheesecake many a time, but they were always cracked (though still delicious, of course). Although a cracked cheesecake is really not the biggest deal since it will still taste amazing and you can just smother it in cream, ganache, fruit, or any other toppings, I just wanted to be able to make it 'perfect'.
I think the main reason for her cheesecakes cracking was overbaking. Even if you bake your cheesecake with a low temperature and in a water bath, if you overbake it, it will crack.
Tips for baking the perfect cheesecake:
You do NOT need to bake your cheesecake until it is no longer jiggly. Only bake it until the edges feel spongy to the touch, even if it is still jiggly. The difference is that if the edges ARE still jiggly, they will be jiggly like a Japanese cheesecake or like set jelly, not like liquidy, raw batter.
Don't worry if your cheesecake puffs up whilst baking - it will settle down when it cools.
If you make sure you follow the following tips, you will yield a smooth, uncracked cheesecake every time:
Make sure your cream cheese especially is at room temperature. You can microwave it on low power for 30 seconds then 10 seconds at a time if necessary
Ensure the cream cheese is completely smooth and loosened before adding any other ingredients
Beat the ingredients on a low to medium-low speed with the paddle attachment to ensure that as little air as possible is incorporated into the batter
Periodically scrape the beater and the sides and base of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed
Ensure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next
Bake it at a low temperature (like 160°C)
Bake it in a water bath
Do not overbake it (see the above notes)
Based on my dalgona coffee cheesecake recipe, except I omitted the lemon as I personally do not think it would pair well with the coffee. However, if you would like to include the lemon, feel free to. Just ensure you use the minimum amount of water required to dissolved the coffee (just add the water slowly and a little at a time) or just use the rind of the lemon.
I personally prefer a stronger coffee taste in my coffee flavoured baked goods, so feel free to reduce the coffee to 6-8g. Alternatively, if you would like an even stronger coffee taste and are using instant/ freeze dried coffee like I did, I'd suggest adding some extra sugar to counter the added bitterness and instant-coffee-sourness.
Alternatively, you could pair this cheesecake with the dalgona coffee topping for a real strong coffee kick.
We here in this house also generally like to reduce sugar in baked goods and things, so feel free to increase the sugar to as much as 350g.
If you'd prefer not to use chocolate biscuits, you could instead use a plain biscuit, or even digestive biscuits. A mixture of granita biscuits and shredded wheatmeal biscuits is -chef's kiss-.
Recipe
For the espresso coffee cheesecake
Makes one 23cm cheesecake
INGREDIENTS:
375g Chocolate Ripple biscuits/ chocolate biscuits, roughly broken
160g unsalted butter, melted
200g castor sugar
1tbsp (7g) corn flour
1/2tsp salt
750g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
12g instant coffee dissolved in 3tbsp hot water, room temperature
120g sour cream
1tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
Optional topping:
300ml thickened cream (optional)
25g castor sugar, or to taste (optional)
Caramel to garnish (optional)
METHOD:
Prepare the cake tin and biscuit base
1. Line the bottom of a round 23cm springform/ removable based cake pan and generously grease the base and sides. Line the sides if desired.
Wrap the outside of the pan with at least two layers of foil to prevent water leaking into the pan. Ensure the foil extends up the sides.
Ensure you have a roasting pan (or similar) large enough to fit the prepared cake pan.
2. In a food processor, process the chocolate biscuits until fine. Pour in half of the butter and process. Keep adding melted butter until the mixture can hold its shape when pressed in your hand.
3. Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared cake tin and firmly press them into the base and up the sides of the tin. You can use the base of a cup to help.
Set aside in the fridge for at least half an hour.
Make and bake the cheesecake batter
4. Preheat oven to 160°C. Boil a kettle full of water and keep it hot.
5. Mix the sugar, corn flour, and salt together in a small bowl until evenly mixed. This prevents the corn flour from clumping.
6. Using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer on a low to medium-low speed until loosened and smooth. Add the sugar mixture and beat at the same speed until smooth and creamy. Periodically scrape down the sides and base of the bowl with a spatula to ensure an evenly mixed batter.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the coffee mixture, sour cream, and vanilla until evenly mixed.
Add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low until fully incorporated. Make sure to keep scraping the sides and base of the bowl.
8. Beat the eggs in on a slow speed, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl between each addition.
9. Remove the cake pan from the fridge and place in the roasting pan. Pour the batter into the cake pan.
Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until the water reaches just below the lowest edge of foil.
10. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until just set. The top will be browned (browner than usual because of the coffee) and the edges will feel spongy when pressed. It will still be jiggly, but jiggly like set jelly or a Japanese cheesecake.
Turn the oven off and leave the door only slightly ajar (you can wedge a wooden spoon or something between the door if it doesn't stay open by itself). Leave it to cool in the oven until room temperature.
Once room temperature, run a thin knife or other utensil around the side of the pan to ensure the cheesecake is not sticking to the sides. Remove from the water bath and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Garnish
11. For the topping, whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks. Dollop onto the cake and drizzle with caramel if desired.
