February is Chocolate Passion Month but isn’t that true of every month? And if you love the way chocolate and coffee are perfect for each other, you’ll want to add this recipe to your repertoire.New York soul food!
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I said this was delicious but I didn’t say cheap!)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons cream
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup double-stength espresso (you can usually find excellent instant espresso in the supermarket)
1/4 cup dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F.
Crust:
With your fingers, blend the graham cracker crumbs with the butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.
Press the mixture firmly and smoothly in to the bottom of an ungreased 8 or 9-inch spring form pan
Filling:
Melt the chocolate over low heat or in a microwave at 15-20 second intervals. Stir the cream into the chocolate.
In the bowl of an electric mixer add the cream cheese and the cup of sugar. Add the eggs and start beating the mixture on low speed. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well-blended, increasing the speed cautiously to prevent spattering.
Add the chocolate mixture and the sour cream to the cream cheese mixture.
Pour in the cooled espresso and rum.
Add the vanilla and beat until well-blended.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until the cake is puffed at the edges. The center will remain somewhat soft but it will firm up as the cake cools.
Let the cake cool on a rack for several hours.
Remove the sides of the pan.
Garnish with a blend of confectioners’ sugar and cocoa, 1 tablespoon of each, and chocolate curls.
Birchwood Inn
http://www.birchwood-inn.com
Ellen Gutman Chenaux
Bed and Breakfast Foodie