This amazing Espresso Cheesecake has a thick digestive biscuit crust topped with layers of espresso and vanilla cheesecake swirled together. A delicious coffee infused dessert.
Have you seen all those videos of Dalgona coffee? Some weeks back it was all over internet. Quite literally everywhere I looked, there was a Dalgona coffee video. This drink originated in Korea and is made by whipping together equal amounts of coffee, sugar and water until it becomes frothy and then spooned over hot or cold milk. It looks like a reverse cappuccino and tastes like a Frappuccino.
Which got me craving a coffee infused cheesecake. A creamy cheesecake with intense flavour. Thanks to the addition of espresso powder. The darkly roasted coffee balances out the the rich and sweet flavours of the cheesecake. For this recipe you will need no more than two teaspoons. A little espresso powder goes a long way.
Ingredients for the Espresso Swirl Cheesecake
Cream cheese – Use regular full fat cream cheese for the best results. No reduced fat cream cheese is allowed here. Cheesecake deserves all the full fat goodness 😉.
Sugar- I use 130g (2/3 cup) of sugar, just enough to sweeten the cheesecake.
Eggs– 2 eggs gives the cheesecake an extra smooth and rich texture.
Whipping cream– This gives the cheesecake a creamy smooth texture. Sour cream is also great substitution.
Espresso powder– All you need is 2 teaspoons mixed with 1 teaspoon of hot water for that bold coffee flavour.
Tips for a successful cheesecake
Use room temperature ingredients– It is important that your cream cheese is at room temperature. This ensures that your batter isn’t lumpy and allows all the ingredients to combine smoothly. To bring the ingredients to room temperature, leave them out on the counter for at least 2 hours.
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath– To avoid the dreaded crack, bake in a water bath. Doing this extra step is totally worth it. The steam generated from the water bath results in an evenly baked cheesecake and prevents the cheesecake from cracking.
Use a springform pan– This pan has removable sides so you can safely remove the cheesecake without having to turn it over onto a plate. Remember to grease the sides and bottom of the pan to help release the cheesecake easily. It is important to double wrap the pan with aluminium foil to keep water from getting in.
Do not open the oven door– Not even a quick peek inside the oven. Doing this will let out the hot steamy air and can cause your cheesecake to crack.
Leave your cheesecake to cool– Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door cracked open for an 1 hour. Remove it from the water bath and then leave it on the countertop to cool completely before refrigerating overnight.
Coffee not your thing? Try this baked Creamy Cheesecake with Strawberry Compote or this no bake Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake instead.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 150 grams (1 cup), crushed digestive biscuits
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake
- 300 grams (10 oz), full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 130 grams (2/3 cup), sugar
- 250 ml (1 cup), whipping or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon hot water
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Grease the base and sides of a 6 inch springform cake tin. Line the base of the tin with greaseproof or baking paper.
- Melt butter at 30 second bursts in the microwave. Set aside. Grind digestive biscuits into crumbs and mix with melted butter.
- Press the crust into the bottom of the tin using the back of a spoon or a flat bottom cup to form an even layer. Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
For the cheesecake filling
- Turn down temperature of the oven to 160 degrees celcius.
- In bowl of mixer (or using hand mixer) beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Slowly beat inthe sugar. Add salt. Scrape the sides of bowl as needed.
- Add the vanilla extract and whipping or heavy cream and beat until well incorporated.
- Beat in eggs , one at a time until incorporated .
- In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder in a teaspoon of hot water. Add 125 ml (½ cup) of the cheesecake filling to the espresso mixture and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour the regular cheesecake filling onto the cooled biscuit base and smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Spoon dollops of the epresso filling onto the regular cheesecake filling and use a table knife to make a swirl pattern.
- Bang the bottom of the cake tin on the counter several times to help release any air bubbles.
- Wrap two layers of foil around the bottom and side of the tin. Place the springform tin in a larger roasting tin/tray and place it into the oven. Pour hot water carefully into a baking tray to one third height of the springform tin. This will create a water bath what will give off lots of steam while the cheesecake bakes.
- Bake cheesecake for 60 minutes. The centre of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in in oven for one hour.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and carefully lift out of water bath. Let it cool completely on rack. Loosely cover the cheesecake and then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
- Use a knife or offset spatula to loosen the chilled cheecake from the sides of the springform tin. To cut the cheesecake, dip a a clean sharp knife in hot water and then cut slices of cheesecake. Wipe the knife clean between each slice.
Notes
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