THE RECIPE
(Adapted from recipe published on Closetcooking.com)
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup graham cookie crumbs
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the batter
- 12 ounces dark chocolate, (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Guinness Extra Stout Beer
Instructions
1. Preheat oven at 350F
2. Prepare the crust. In a bowl, mix together the graham crumbs, cocoa powder, sugar, melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Make sure to grease the pan well, bottom and sides. Since we’ll be baking the cheesecake in a water bath, cover the exterior of the pan with aluminum foil. Like this:
3. Melt the chocolate and heavy cream in a double broiler (or water bath). For a detailed explanation about the method, CLICK HERE
4. In a bowl, cream the cream cheese.
5. Mix in the sugar, melted chocolate, sour cream, eggs (one by one), vanilla, and Guinness. Make sure to mix well after each ingredient to get a smooth consistency.
6. Pour the mixture into the spring form pan and take to the oven to cook in a water bath setting. Here’s an example of how it should look
7. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 60 minutes.
8. Turn the oven off and leave cheesecake inside for an extra 60 minutes with the heat off.
9. Let it cool completely at room temperature
10. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight for best results.
11. Decorate! (Totally optional). I used fresh strawberries (for a nice color contrast) but you can eat this bad boy as is. It is so rich and flavorful that you can absolutely enjoy solo.
TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CHEESECAKE
- When melting the chocolate, don’t use a wooden spoon. Metal utensils are better suited for this job, such as a whisk.
- Allow the chocolate to completely melt before touching it. Use very low heat and don’t allow the water in the double broiler to boil. When melting chocolate, humidity is your enemy!
- If you scorch your chocolate and it gets lumpy and dull-looking you can still fix it! Add 1 tablespoon of cold butter (for every 6 ounces of chocolate) and this will relax the texture and give it a glossy look. Another option is to use vegetable oil (same ratio) instead.
- When making cheesecake, try not to overmix the batter, especially after adding the eggs. It incorporates air into the mix that will result in those hideous air bubbles formed on your cheesecake top. (It happened to me!)
- Baking the cheesecake in a water bath is so worth it! It cooks it slowly and with indirect heat, for a smooth and creamy texture with no cracks!
Much Love,
