Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake - Bacco Restaurant, New Orleans

Published in Bon Appetit, April 2004. A very smooth chocolate cheesecake. Make a day ahead so it can refrigerate overnight.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Crust

• 2  cups  finely ground chocolate graham cracker crumbs (from about 36 squares)
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, melted

• Filling

• 6  ounces  semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3  large eggs
• 1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese

Directions

1. Crust:.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F.
3. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in processor to blend. Add butter; process until moist clumbs form.
4. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch high sides.
5. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven but maintain oven temperature. Cool crust in pan on rack.
6. Wrap outside of pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. The foil will keep the water bath from leaking into the cheesecake.
7. Filling:.
8. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm.
9. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until smooth and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
10. Gradually add flour, beating until well blended.
11. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended.
12. Mix in mascarpone cheese, then melted chocolate.
13. Pour filling into crust. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with enough water to come halfway up around exterior of springform pan.
14. Bake cake until filling is just set in center but still moves slightly, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
15. Remove cake from water bath; transfer to rack and cool completely, about 4 hours. Cover and chill overnight.
16. Run knife around top edge of cheesecake to loosen. Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter.