| Mascarpone Cheesecake | ||||
| Makes 1 cake | ||||
| Ingredients | Topping | |||
| 4 oz | (by weight) slivered almonds (check the bulk food bins) | 4 tbls | Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread | |
| 8 | honey flavored graham crackers | 2 tbls | heavy whipping cream | |
| 3 tbls | sugar | |||
| 4 tbls | butter, melted | |||
| ________ | ||||
| 16 oz | (2 bricks) cream cheese, softened | |||
| 16 oz | (2 tubs) Mascarpone cheese (from the deli cheese section) | |||
| 1 1/4 cup | sugar | |||
| 2 tsp | lemon juice | |||
| 1 tsp | vanilla extract | |||
| 4 | eggs | |||
| Directions | ||||
 Preheat the oven to 350°.Make the crust first. Let's toast the almonds. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with Pam. Toss in the almonds and stir them around to coat. Spread them out evenly. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. When they're done, throw them in a food processor and pulse them to a fine crumb. Add the graham crackers and pulse them to crumb. Add the sugar and butter. Pulse some more until you get some damp, clumping crumbs. Grease and flour a 9" spring-form pan (or spray it with Baker's Joy). Pour the crumbs into the pan and press them firmly and evenly covering the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust at 350° for 12 minutes. Remove it from the oven and place it in the freezer on a cooling rack while you make the filling. In a mixer equipped with a beater, combine the cream cheese, Mascarpone cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. Now turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs one at a time. Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium for 1 minute. Fill a large Pyrex container with about 8 cups of water. Heat in the microwave for 12 minutes. Take the crust out of the freezer and re-spray the interior sides of the pan liberally with Baker's Joy. Rip a couple thin strips of parchment paper and line the interior sides of the pan so the cake won't stick later on. It should stick to the grease; if not, add more grease. Wrap the outside of the pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil; it's got to be water tight. Place the spring-form pan into a large roasting pan. Pour the filling onto the crust. Pour the microwaved water into the roasting pan. Add more hot tap water until the spring-form pan is covered about halfway up (it took another 8 cups for my roasting pan; yours may be different). Bake at 350° for 65 minutes. The top of the cheesecake will be firm and maybe slightly browned; the interior will still have some wobble to it which will set when cooled. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it on the stove top. With your oven mitts still on, carefully remove the spring-form pan and place it on a cooling rack with a towel underneath to catch any stray water. Peel back the foil and let the cake cool at room temperature for 1 hour. After the cake has cooled for 1 hour, remove the foil but leave the spring-form pan intact. Now make the topping. In a small Pyrex measuring cup, add the Nutella and cream and nuke it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture with a knife until smooth. Artfully drizzle the mixture over the cake; it will set up when cooled. Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Before serving, gently un-spring the pan and remove the parchment paper. |
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