Coffee Cheesecake

Total Time

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 1 hour 10 min. + chilling

Makes

16 servings

Ingredients

20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (about 1-2/3 cups)
1/4 cup butter, melted
FILLING:
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons hot water
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
GANACHE:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional: Whipped cream and coarsely chopped espresso beans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of prepared pan. In another bowl, mix the coffee granules and hot water.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs and coffee mixture; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
Bake at 325° for 60-70 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
For ganache, place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool slightly to reach a spreading consistency, stirring occasionally.
Remove rim from pan. Spread ganache over cheesecake. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set. If desired, decorate with whipped cream and espresso beans.

Coffee Cheesecake Tips

Do you have to wait for coffee cheesecake to cool before covering with ganache and serving?

As cheesecake is typically still rather soft when it is removed from the oven, it's important to allow the cheesecake to cool and chill completely before topping and serving.

How can you prevent cracks from forming when making coffee cheesecake?

To prevent cracks, bake your cheesecake (as instructed) in a water bath. The steam from the water gently bakes the cheesecake evenly across, preventing cracks. Here are some further tips for creating and using a water bath for your cheesecake.

How can you make coffee cheesecake your own?

Starting from the bottom up, you can change up the crust by making it nutty or spicy! Here are some tasty graham crust variations to get you started. On top, decorate your coffee cheesecake with crushed, chocolate-covered espresso beans, or a drizzle of melted white chocolate.

Can you freeze coffee cheesecake?

You certainly can freeze your coffee cheesecake. We give you all the know-how on freezing cheesecake in our guide. For best results, hold off on topping this cheesecake with the ganache until you have thawed the cheesecake in the refrigerator. Top the cheesecake and chill as directed for one hour before serving.

—Mark Neufang, Taste of Home Culinary Assistant

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 466 calories, 33g fat (19g saturated fat), 123mg cholesterol, 279mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate (31g sugars, 1g fiber), 6g protein.

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