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Thursday, August 5

Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake



Until recently, I had never made a cheesecake. Something about needing a special pan always made me wary of the process, assuming it was time consuming or difficult. In order to rid myself of my cheesecake timidity, I made this Barefoot Contessa cheesecake last weekend, and it was not only simple, but delicious.


Mine didn't turn out to be quite as lovely as Ina's as it cracked a bit in the middle, {any tips on how to prevent that?} but it tasted divine. And although I did enjoy the chocolate-espresso combination, it was a very decadent dessert. I think next time I will try something fruitier, perhaps blueberry. 


What is your favorite kind of cheesecake?
xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

13 comments:

Simply Bubblelicious said...

Oooh that looks delish! I love anything chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake.

Carla
http://wwwsimplybubblelicious.blogspot.com/

Jamie - Thrifty Threads said...

This looks delicious! I love Ina Garten -- she's so gracious, and her food always looks absolutely divine. And a blueberry cheesecake sounds perfect -- a little tart, and a little sweet at the same time.

Jodi Kendall said...

yum!! I love any cheesecake that has fresh berries with it :)

Caroline said...

Oh so tasty!! YUM!

A said...

cheesecake is my favorite favorite dessert. the mother in law always makes me one either thanksgiving or christmas. that's the only time i'm allowed to eat cheesecake...because i totally binge.

heather said...

Oh! You have got to be kidding me! :) Cheesecake is my all time favorite, and I've not had a pan for it. I usually make some sort of coffee/chocolate/irish cream concoction. (usually meaning two times). Last time I used frozen raspberries, because that's all we could get our hands on here. But I recently found some frozen blueberries, and will make the next cake with those. Blueberry cheesecake is my all-time fave (goes back to the cheesecakes my dad used to make for me when I'd come visit... oh memory food, nothin' like it!)

Wren said...

i can't say i know for sure why it cracks but i'm getting ready to attempt some meringue and the recipe mentioned that it's best to avoid opening the oven-door midway through (to check on them, etc. as we usually do) 'cause that could make them crack.

obviously two very different treats with very different ingredients so i have no idea if that applies here.

there's also lots of little things like humidity vs. dry air, etc... that can affect texture and consistency.

but again--i'm the furthest thing from an expert.

looks delicious though!!

wren

Angela said...

i can't read this post. i think i just gained 2 lb reading this. : )

OneCraftyFox said...

It looks delish!!

Have a great weekend :)

Blair McLeod said...

girl so yum!! hubs just made some chocolate cheesecake... might go get a piece now... but my favorite is cheesecake with fruit!

McMel said...

this looks like heaven. best cheesecake i've ever had was the fresh banana cheesecake from cheesecake factory, but i'll eat any cheesecake!

as for cracks- a lower temp and less bake time may help -?

i'd love to bake some cheesecakes. i need a springform pan though!

Mellie said...

Way to try a scary dessert! It cracked a bit because it got a little over baked. It needs to be taken out when it's still a little jiggly in the middle. A lower temp will help it bake slower, and thus be less likely to over bake. Some recipes call for a water bath, which also helps slow baking time and prevent over baking. I like doing a fruity swirl in my cheesecakes but my fav is a plain cheesecake with a berry topping. Have fun with it!

Rachel Elizabeth said...

This looks amazing. I really like pumpkin cheesecake.