Coffee Cheesecake

Super creamy and delicious Coffee Cheesecake. If you love coffee and cheesecake, then this cake is for you. It consists of a digestive cacao cookie crust, a creamy coffee cheesecake and is topped with smooth dark chocolate ganache.

This coffee cheesecake is perfect to serve for your friends and family! Cheesecakes are simple to put together, you just need good amount of time for it, as it needs 1h 20 min in the oven, and patience to wait for it to set in the fridge overnight, which is hard for most of us but it’s well worth the wait!

For more cheesecake recipes, try Aperol Spritz Cheesecake, Fresh Raspberry Cheesecake and Honey and Lemon Cheesecake.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Coffee Cheesecake: If you are a coffee lover then this cake is perfect for you! This cheesecake has a creamy coffee cheesecake!
• Dark Chocolate Ganache: To add depth and chocolaty flavor it's topped with a delicious dark chocolate ganache
• Cacao Cookie Crust: It has a crispy cacao cookie crust that really lifts the cheesecake to another level

INGREDIENT NOTES

These are the key ingredients for this coffee cheesecake:

• Digestives cookies: We don't have graham crackers in Danmark, so I therefore use Digestive cookies. But if you can buy graham crackers then you can definitely use those instead if you want.
• Cocoa powder: I use high quality dutch processed cocoa powder for the best flavor, my favorite is from Valrhona.
• Cream cheese: It's important that it's full-fat cream cheese and it's at room. temperature when using it. So take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
• Sour cream: Measure and let the sour cream come to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking.
• Eggs: Take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
• Instant espresso powder: I use Nescafe Gold espresso powder as it dissolves quickly and as a great flavor as it's 100% arabica coffee
• Dark Chocolate: I recommend a dark chocolate on the sweeter side, e.g. 54,5%, and therefore a not too bitter dark chocolate, for this recipe, as a sweeter dark chocolate complements the coffee more.

See recipe card for quantities.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CRUST

The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.

Before starting preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 20 cm spring pan lined with parchment paper in the bottom.

In a food processor, add the cookies, granulated sugar and cocoa powder and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the food processor and blend it together with the blended cookies.

Add the cookie crumble and press the cookie crust down with the bottom of a glass, and up agains the side of the pan, so it’s well packed together and flattened out.

Bake it for 10 min. Then let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch. 

Add a double layer of aluminum foil around the cake pan to safely seal it from the water when placing it in a water bath while it bakes. Set it aside.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHEESECAKE

With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 min on low speed. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once all the granulated sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the instant espresso powder, and let it mix for 1 min on low speed.

Now add the sour cream and vanilla extract and let it mix until combined. Then add one egg at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the cake pan and give it a few taps on the counter to let any air bubble out. Make sure to check that the aluminum foil hasn’t ripped anywhere.

Boil up water in a kettle. In a big metal tin that is at least 5 cm tall, add the boiling water and place the cheesecake in the water bath. The water should come up about ⅓ up the side of the cheesecake pan. Gently lift the pan into the oven so no water gets under the aluminum foil.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 min.

Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a bit wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.

Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath. Take off the aluminum foil and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature.

Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHEESECAKE

Semi melt the chocolate. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, or in the microwave, heat the heavy cream and acacia honey until it begins to simmer.

Pour the heavy cream over the melted chocolate and gently stir it together with a spatula until combined.

Pour the ganache over the cheesecake and spread it out.

Decorate with shaved chocolate. It is ready to be served. Keep it stored in the fridge.

WHY BAKE THE CHEESECAKE IN A WATER BATH

So why is baking a cheesecake in a water bath so important? What the water bath does, is that it makes the cheesecake bake more gentle. It can be baked without the water bath but you'll more likely over bake it, which will give a curdled texture, a cracked and lopsided top. The hot water protects your cheesecake while it's baking in the oven. It makes sure your cheesecake comes out smooth and creamy. To make sure no water enter into the cake, wrap 2-3 layers of aluminum foil around the cake pan.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
• Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
• Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.

FAQ

STORAGE

Store the apple crumble cheesecake in the fridge in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed within 5 days.

Other Cheesecake Recipes To Try

Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats and leave me a review below if you made this cake. I hope you loved it! To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.

COFFEE CHEESECAKE

A delicious cheesecake for coffee lovers. A cacao cookie crust, a creamy coffee cheesecake that's topped with smooth dark chocolate ganache.

5 fra 7 stemmer

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 8

Equipment

• 20 cm spring pan

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

CACAO COOKIE CRUST

• 200 g digestive or graham cookies
• 1,5 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1,5 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 50 g butter melted

CHEESECAKE

• 600 g cream cheese full fat, room temperature
• 150 g granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 75 g sour cream 18% room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs room temperature

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 100 g dark chocolate I recommend sweeter dark chocolate
• 80 g heavy cream
• 10 g acacia honey

Instructions

 

CACAO COOKIE CRUST

• Preheat the oven at 160ºC, conventional oven.
• In a food processor, add the cookies, granulated sugar and cocoa powder and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the food processor and blend it together with the blended cookies.
  200 g digestive or graham cookies, 1,5 teaspoon cocoa powder, 1,5 tablespoon granulated sugar, 50 g butter
• In a 20 cm spring cake pan add parchment paper to the bottom. Add the cookie crumble and press the cookie crust down with the bottom of a glass, and up agains the side of the pan, so it’s well packed together and flattened out.
• Bake it for 10 min. Then let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch. Keep the oven on for the cheesecake.
• Add a double layer of aluminum foil around the cake pan to safely seal it from the water when placing it in a water bath while it bakes. Set it aside.

CHEESECAKE

• With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 min on low speed. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once all the granulated sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the instant espresso powder, and let it mix for 1 min on low speed.
  600 g cream cheese, 150 g granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• Now add the sour cream and vanilla extract and let it mix until combined. Then add one egg at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.
  75 g sour cream 18%, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 large eggs
• Pour the cheesecake batter into the cake pan and give it a few taps on the counter to let any air bubble out. Make sure to check that the aluminum foil hasn’t ripped anywhere.
• Boil up water in a kettle. In a big metal tin that is at least 5 cm tall, add the boiling water and place the cheesecake in the water bath. The water should come up about ⅓ up the side of the cheesecake pan. Gently lift the pan into the oven so no water gets under the aluminum foil.
• Bake for 1 hour and 20 min.
• Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a bit wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.
• Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath. Take off the aluminum foil and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature.
• Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• Semi melt the chocolate. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, or in the microwave, heat the heavy cream and acacia honey until it begins to simmer.
  100 g dark chocolate, 80 g heavy cream, 10 g acacia honey
• Pour the heavy cream over the melted chocolate and gently stir it together with a spatula until combined.
• Pour the ganache over the cheesecake and spread it out.
• Decorate with shaved chocolate. It is ready to be served. Keep it stored in the fridge.

Keyword cheesecake, chocolate, dark chocolate, espresso

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