from
Mels Kitchen Cafe
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
This was my first time making a cheesecake. I worked so hard and then when inspecting if it was done, tipped it over in my oven. Needless to say, I was crushed. But after giving myself a minute, I reassessed the situation and salvaged my hard work as much as possible. So although I may now have a dirty oven to clean, I'll get to it after enjoying the fruits of my efforts (and mishaps) first :) Although I scrapped trying to really outdo myself and didn't make the ganache.
*Note: The original author doubled the crust because she likes a lot of
crust-to-cheesecake ratio, but if I tried it in my springform pan and it was too much for me. Next time I want to try just the regular amount of crust. Also, for
the brownies, she says you can basically use any brownie recipe made for a
9X13-inch pan – but the recipe listed is great as they are dense and fudgey.(tried and worked great). The brownies can be made a day in advance of making the
cheesecake and refrigerated if you want to minimize prep work. The
entire cheesecake, itself, can be baked, cooled and refrigerated a day
in advance of serving.
INGREDIENTS:
Brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Crumb Crust:
1 1/2 cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double)
finely ground cookies such as chocolate wafers or chocolate Teddy Grahams (
used chocolate graham crackers)
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) granulated sugar
1/8 (1/4 teaspoon to double) teaspoon salt
Cheesecake:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups chilled brownie cubes (from recipe above)
Ganache:
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (can use 1/2 cup chocolate chips)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
DIRECTIONS:
For the brownies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan
with foil, with the ends of foil extending over the two short sides of
the pan. Lightly grease foil. In a large microwaveable bowl, microwave
the chocolate and butter on high for one minute. Stir. Repeat the
process at 50% power until the chocolate is completely melted and the
mixture is smooth. Stir in the sugar. Blend in the eggs and vanilla. Add
the flour and salt, stirring to mix well. Spread the batter evenly in
the prepared pan.
Bake the brownies for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the
center comes out with moist crumbs. Do not overbake! Cool the brownies
in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, use the foil handles to remove the
brownies. Refrigerate the brownies until chilled (1-2 hours) and cut
into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes. Refrigerate the cubes until ready to fold
into the cheesecake. You’ll have more brownie cubes than needed in the
cheesecake recipe so use your best judgment about what to do with those
leftover brownie babies.
For the crust, stir together the crust ingredients and press onto
bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 10-inch springform pan. Fill
right away with cheesecake or chill up to 2 hours.
For the cheesecake filling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
With an electric mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer,
beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add
eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and sugar, beating on low speed until
each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down the bowl between
additions.
Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour the mixture into the
prepared pan. Place the filled springform pan on a larger baking sheet
and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the cake is
set 3 inches from the edge but still slightly jiggly in the center
(watch the time carefully, you may need more or less baking time based
on your exact oven temperature).
Cool the cheesecake completely in the springform pan on a wire rack. When completely cool, top with the ganache glaze.
For the ganache glaze, scald (heat just below boiling) the butter and
cream in a saucepan (or in a Pyrex cup in the microwave). Place the
finely chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream/butter
mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Stir the
mixture together until completely smooth and silky (it might look grainy
at first but it will come together if the cream is sufficiently warm
and the chocolate is chopped finely). Add the vanilla and sugar and
whisk until smooth. Spread over the cheesecake. Chill until ready to
serve.
To serve, unmold the cheesecake from the springform pan, cut the cheesecake into slices and serve.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen
