Espresso Bean Cheesecake

Submitted by Hallawe MacLean

"I love coffee. I love cheesecake. What could be better than the blending of the two? I got this recipe from a friend of my mother's (who is even more fanatical about her coffee than I am) and loved it from the first time I tried it. Normally when I make coffee-flavoured baked goods I try for a strong coffee flavour, but not with this one. The coffee flavour is actually rather subtle, but it works for this. I have always wanted to try leaving the grounds in the cake, but I am not sure how it would work out. It is smooth and mellow and I think crunchy grounds would distract from that."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 1 Cheesecake
• Serves: 10-12

ingredients

• 30 Oreo cookies
• 1⁄4 cup butter, Melted
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄3 cup dark roast coffee beans, Coarsely Ground
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, Softened
• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 300° Fahrenheit.
2. Pour cream into a 1-2 quart saucepan and mix with the coffee grounds.
3. Bring cream just to a simmer and remove from heat. Cover and let the mixture steep for 1 hour.
4. Pour cream mixture into a fine strainer (I use a reusable coffee filter), pressing to extract liquid (the finer grind will pass through); discard residue.
5. While waiting for the cream mixture to steep, use a food processor to grind the cookies into fine crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl.
6. Add the butter to the cookie crumbs and mix well, mixture will be crumbly but just beginning to stick together.
7. Pour the cookie crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Press it into the bottom and about halfway up the sides.
8. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
9. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.
10. Beat in cream mixture and vanilla.
11. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust-lined pan and bake at 300° until center barely jiggles when cake is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
12. Run a thin-bladed knife between cake and pan rim.
13. Refrigerate cake for at least three hours or up to two days.