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Author:
Franco Salzillo
What’s a cheesecake but a crumbly crust with a creamy filling? The cheesecake is not a complicated dessert, but we all love it for that precise reason. Cheesecakes are just easy to love, and they’re so satisfying!
Having said that, not all cheesecakes are created equal. Browse the web, and you’ll find super complicated recipes for cheesecakes, but for me, the best are always easy.
The recipe below shows you exactly how to make a great no-bake espresso ganache cheesecake — music to my ears, but there’s more: This one is infused with two of my favorite things, chocolate and coffee. What a fantastic combo!
This cheesecake starts with the classic Oreo crust, made with cookies and butter. The rest is also pretty familiar — heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract.
We’re also throwing in there some espresso powder or instant espresso to give the cheesecake some color and the nicest coffee flavor.
Finally, we’re making chocolate ganache from scratch with heavy cream and melted dark chocolate.
Optionally, add a splash of dark rum to booze things up a little. One or two tablespoons are more than enough to feel the heartwarming rum.
For the crust:
For the filling:
For the chocolate ganache:
Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan and line with parchment paper, leaving some paper sticking out.
In a food processor, crush the Oreo cookies with butter and one tablespoon of espresso powder to form the crust mixture. Press the mixture into the bottom of the spring-form pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
In a stand mixer, whip two cups of heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form; add the sugar and the cream cheese to form the cheesecake filling. Once mixed, add in the vanilla extract and two tablespoons of espresso powder.
Pour the cheesecake filling into the spring-form pan and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache by heating the rest of the heavy cream in the microwave until steamy and set aside. In a second microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 10-second pulses while stirring between pulses until glossy and runny.
Combine the warm heavy cream with the melted chocolate, add the dark rum and the last tablespoon of espresso powder.
Bring out the cheesecake from the fridge and top it with the warm ganache. Spread evenly on the top and let it drip onto the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
