Ultimate Cappuccino Cheesecake

Skip your after-dinner coffee and indulge in a piece of this coffee-and-cinnamon-spiked cheesecake instead. It relies on creamy Italian mascarpone cheese for its smooth texture. Submitted for RSC#12 Desserts contest.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• CRUST

• 18  graham cracker squares, crushed (to equals 1 1/2 cup crumbs)
• 6  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1⁄4 cup Splenda sugar substitute
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon

• FILLING

• 3 (8 ounce) packages light cream cheese, softened
• 8  ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8  egg whites, room temperature
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  tablespoons  brewed espresso, cooled
• 4  tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F.
2. Wrap bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with wide heavy-duty foil.
3. Place the crackers into a sealable plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them or use a food processor to do the crushing. Crush the crackers into evenly ground crumbs. In medium bowl, stir together crumbs, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and melted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press evenly into bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set; cool on wire rack.
4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and sugar at low speed 2 minutes or until smooth. Beat in flour. Beat in 4 of the egg whites just until combined; repeat with remaining 4 egg whites. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla just until blended.
5. Reserve 2 cups batter in another medium bowl. In small bowl, combine coffee in 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream; stir into reserved batter.
6. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream and 2 teaspoons cinnamon into batter in large bowl until completely blended; pour into crust. Place pan in large shallow roasting or broiler pan. Fill with enough hot tap water to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
7. Bake 40 minutes. Carefully slide out oven rack several inches. Pour reserved coffee batter evenly over cheesecake. Bake additional 35 minutes or until edges are slightly puffed and top is dry to the touch. Center should move slightly when pan is tapped. Turn oven off and let cake sit in oven with door ajar and cool for 30 minutes. Remove cake from water bath; remove foil. Place on wire rack; continue to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.