About ten years ago I made this cheesecake for a family holiday dinner. It got so many rave reviews that I've been making it on and off since then for dinner parties, teacher luncheons or any event that calls for a dessert that's fancy, but is fairly easy to transport and can be made ahead. After making it recently this week, I will say it's a lot of work, but not "difficult" work -- just a matter of staying focused as you mix each of the different batters and pour them over the crust. Truthfully, the hardest part of this recipe for me is shelling out the $4.00 for the 9 oz package of chocolate wafers, so lately I've resorted to making them myself using Alice Medrich's recipe. And while I haven't used Oreos yet, that's my plan for the next go-round.
Recipe
Triple Layer Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust Layer
- 9 oz chocolate wafer cookies crushed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
Chocolate Layer
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ounces of melted semisweet chocolate
- ⅓ cup sour cream
Brown Sugar Layer
- 1 8 oz package of cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 Tbsp. flour all-purpose
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon of vanilla
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
White Layer
- 5 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate glaze (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Crumb Crust: Combine cookie crumbs, ¼ cup sugar and butter. Press into the bottom and 2-inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
- Chocolate Layer: Combine 8 oz of cream cheese and ¼ sugar and beat until creamy. Add 1 egg and ¼ tsp. vanilla; blend well. Stir in melted chocolate and ⅓ cup sour cream. Spoon over chocolate crumb layer.
- Brown Sugar Layer: Combine 8 ounces of cream cheese, ⅓ cup brown sugar and flour and beat until well mixed. Add 1 egg and ½ tsp. vanilla; blend well. Stir in pecans. Spoon gently over chocolate layer.
- White Sour Cream Layer: Combine 5 oz cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg and blend well. Stir in remaining 1 cup sour cream and vanilla. Spoon gently over praline layer.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour; turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven for 30 minutes; open door of oven and leave cheesecake in oven an additional 30 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then chill for 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove from pan and make chocolate glaze.
- To make the chocolate glaze combine 6 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate and ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla until smooth. Pour over cake. Put the cake in the refrigerator to set the glaze.
- At this point, the cake needs some sort of garnish. You could pile chocolate leaves on top, add nuts or do what I do and drizzle lines of melted white chocolate over the top.
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