Coffee cheesecake topped with with chocolate toffee bits, garnished with homemade sweetened whipped cream and chocolate covered espresso beans on a chocolate graham cracker crust.
Coffee Toffee Cheesecake
This is an intensely rich cheesecake that is sure to impress!
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(This recipe uses Stablized Whipped Cream. You can find the recipe here.)
Cheesecakes, for me, are a labor of love. They take time and effort so I usually only make them for people I really like. I’m making this one for my sweetie and sharing it with my church family at our monthly potluck.
Don’t be intimidated by cheesecakes. Yes, they take work. Yes, the top may crack (that’s the real reason most cheesecakes have a topping). But the results are so worth the effort!
And people adore cheesecake. I once read the it’s the most often ordered dessert at restaurants.
Prep the pan
This cheesecake bakes in a 9 Inch springform pan
. Spray it with cooking spray. Trace around the bottom of the pan on some parchment paper
and cut it out. Then cut two 3-inch strips.
Stick the pieces of parchment to the bottom and side of the pan. The cooking spray will “glue” it in place. Then give it another quick spray.
The crust
Take 10 whole chocolate graham crackers and grind them up fine. I like to start them in a ziplock with my rolling pin. I put them in a gallon sized bag, crush them up some, and then transfer them to my food processor. If you don’t have a food processor just keep rolling and whacking until they’re really fine crumbs.
Mix the crumbs with the melted butter until it looks like wet sand. I like unsalted but regular salted is fine. Don’t go out and buy a whole pound just for this recipe.
(FYI, butter freezes really well so it might be a good idea to keep some unsalted on hand.)
Also, don’t even try this with margarine. It contains too much water and the crust will be gooey.
Next, press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Really press it in there, use something with a flat bottom like a glass or measuring cup.
Pop the whole thing, pan and all, into the freezer while you make the cheesecake batter.
The batter
Start with room temperature creamed cheese. If it’s cold, the batter will be lumpy. And lumps can sometimes cause cracks.
Dissolve a tablespoon of the instant coffee in the hot water and set it aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed for a few minutes.
Scape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Next, beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. (Tip: use a large slotted spoon to separate yolks from whites).
Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
Mix in the cornstarch and salt. Don’t be tempted to skip the cornstarch, it binds to the eggs and helps prevent cracks.
Reduce the speed to low and add the coffee mixture, the other tablespoon of instant coffee, cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
(This would probably have been a much better picture if I had thought to turn off the mixer first.)
Scrape down the sides and mix another few seconds.
Bake
Pour the batter over the frozen crust and bake for 60-75 minutes or until the filling is just a little jiggly in the middle. Just look at those beautiful flecks of coffee! Mmmmm…coffee.
Put it on a baking sheet, sometimes some of the butter from the crust leaks out.
Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar for 10 minutes so the cheesecake can cool some.
Cool
Cool the cheesecake on a wire rack for 2 hours.
Then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours. I usually chill mine overnight.
Decorate
Remove the band and parchment strips. Fill the center with chocolate toffee chips. Pipe some pretty swirls of Stabilized Whipped Cream and dot with chocolate covered espresso beans.
Tips for cutting
Start with a large, sharp knife. Run it under very hot water, wipe it dry with a clean dish towel and make your first cut. I usually cut it in half. Then, with a clean fresh-out-of-the-drawer wet dish cloth, wipe the knife blade clean. Rinse under hot water, dry, and cut into quarters. Wipe, rinse, and dry after every cut.
For 12 servings, cut each quarter into thirds. For 16 servings, cut each quarter into fourths.
It isn’t as tedious as it sounds. And after the loving attention you put into baking your Coffee Toffee Cheesecake, you don’t want it hacked to death.
So excited and honored to have this recipe featured by my blogger buddy Alexandra at Wife Sense in her Ministry Meals post!
Resources (affiliate link):
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| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 60-75 minutes |
| Servings | 12-16 slices |
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoon instant coffee, divided
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon instant coffe
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1/2 cup chocolate toffee bits,divided
Ingredients Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust
Coffee Cheesecake
| |
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and line with parchment, spray again.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottm of pan. Freeze while mixing cheesecake batter.
- In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon coffee in hot water. Set aside.
- In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar for 3 minutes. Scrap down sides.
- Beat in eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in cornstarch and salt.
- Reduce speed to low and add cooled coffee mixture, other tablespoon of coffee, cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Pour batter over crust.
- Place on baking sheet and bake for 60-75 minutes or until center has a slight jiggle.
- Cool in oven with door slightly ajar for 10 minutes. Cool on rack for 2 hours. Chill in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Remove band and parchment strips.
- Dercorate with chocolate toffee bits, stablized whipped cream, and chocolate covered espresso beans.
- Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Wow, Lisa, this is one exquisite cheesecake! Adding both toffee and coffee was genius!!
Thanks, Liz! Hubby had one at a restaurant once when he was traveling for business and raved about it. So I wanted to make him one.
This is the greatest… cheesecake… ever…! You take the time to make this and follow Lisa’s direction, you will not be disappointed and neither will anyone who gets a piece. Spectacular!
Thanks Big Daddy. So glad you liked it!