Guest Cooks!

Over the holiday weekend, my sister-in-law and one of my sisters had occasion to make this scrumptious dessert. I still need to ask her which cookbook she was using. Mom also made her famous apple pie and a pumpkin pie. At my father's request, I made another batch of Sweet-Potato and Orange Puree with Almond Streusel to go with the turkey dinner we had earlier that day.

Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecake

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 packages of 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
12 oz. of bittersweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled
3 eggs
1 cup ( 8 oz.) sour cream
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Glaze:

4 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream and toasted chopped hazelnuts, optional

In a bowl combine crumbs, hazelnuts, and butter; press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add chocolate; beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in sour cream, extracts, and salt; pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until center is nearly set. Cool to room temperature. For glaze melt chocolate and cream in microwave or double boiler; stir until smooth. Add vanilla. Carefully run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan; remove the sides of the pan. Spread glaze over top. Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with whipped cream and hazelnuts if desired. Yields 16 servings.

Notes: I'm told the cooks used 8 oz of semi-sweet and 4 oz of bittersweet in the cake, and wholly substituted semi-sweet in the glaze. Also, there were no hazelnuts in the glaze. Were I to make it, I might give it a try with some really high quality bittersweet chocolate, but this sure did come out rich and creamy enough to satisfy any cheesecake lover.

Posted by Jennifer at December 31, 2005 9:49 AM | TrackBack