101 Cheesecake Recipes

The Best Cheesecake Recipes

-Crust:
2 c Chocolate wafer crumbs
2 tb Granulated sugar
4 tb (1/2 stick) sweet butter
-softened
-Filling:
1 1/2 lb Cream cheese; softened
2 tb Cornstarch
1 c Sour cream
1 ts Almond extract
1 c Heavy cream
8 oz Dark semisweet baking
-chocolate, cut into bits
4 Eggs; separated
3/4 c Granulated sugar
1/8 ts Cream of tartar
-Topping:
1 c Heavy cream, whipped
1 oz Semisweet baking chocolate,
-to make 6 curls, 2 inches
-long each

1. Crust: In a medium-size bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, sugar,
   and butter. Blend well with fingers, fork, or pastry blender. Press or pat
   the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a well-buttered springform pan.
   Chill in the freezer or refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
   
   
2. Filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, cornstarch, sour cream,
   and almond extract until smooth. In a small saucepan, scald the heavy
   cream, then remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Add
   the chocolate bits and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. With
   a wire whisk, beat the mixture until it is cooled and light in texture. In
   a large bowl, with a whisk beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar
   until very thick and smooth. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture
   and beat until everything has been smoothly combined. Then add the cream
   cheese mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat again until very smooth.
   In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and the
   remaining 1/4 cup sugar until the egg whites hold their peaks. Fold the egg
   whites into the cheese mixture and pour the entire mixture into the chilled
   shell. Place the springform pan inside of a larger pan containing 1 inch of
   water and bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Transfer to
   a wire rack and allow to cool completely .
   
   
3. Topping: Prepare chocolate curls by melting the chocolate, spreading it
   thinly on a sheet of wax paper, and refrigerating for 30 minutes. Then with
   a flat knife scrape the chilled chocolate into curls and cut them into
   2-inch- long sticks. Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan.,
   Decorate by spreading the whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake and
   then adding the chocolate curls. Transfer the cake to a serving dish and
   serve.

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