Chocolate Decadence

Lately I've been reading some posts on Facebook about people giving up chocolate as their New Year's resolution. WHAT?!?!?!?!? Are you people serious?! Good for you, but I know for a fact that I never could. Some people eat to live.....well, I live to eat. I am such a foodie that I can't even eat a meal at a restaurant without critiquing every little taste, texture, and bite! I'm such a foodie that even if I'm completely stuffed, I will still eat dessert. It's ridiculous. (It doesn't help that I'm extremely nosey also and love to try new things!) So speaking of desserts, here's my latest conquest. The Chocolate Cheesecake. But not just any chocolate cheesecake....the most decadent, creamy, rich, chocolate cheesecake I have ever tasted! Enjoy! (Oh, unless that is, you've given up chocolate for the New Year, in which case, boo-hoo-hoo.)

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For crust-
1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies (or chocolate graham crackers)
6 tablespoons butter, melted

For filling-
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp instant coffee powder
12 ounces Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 9" springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Finely grind cookies in food processor. Add butter and process until blended. Press mixture on bottom (not sides) of springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

2. Combine cream and coffee powder in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until coffee powder dissolves. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.

3. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Beat in cornstarch. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat well. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Whisk 1 cup cream cheese mixture into chocolate mixture. Return chocolate mixture to remaining cream cheese mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Pour filling into crust. Place springform pan on a large baking sheet. Bake cake until softly set and slightly puffed around edges, about 1 hour. (Center will still be slightly "jiggly".) Turn off oven and let cake stand in oven about 45 minutes (this helps to prevent cracking, allowing the cake to cool at a slower rate.) Transfer springform pan to a rack and cool. Cover and cool cake overnight in refrigerator.

5. To slice cheesecake, use a sharp un-serrated knife. Run knife under hot water and wipe clean between slices for a nice, clean cut. (Sorry, no pics of the sliced cake. This cake went to a party with me and I forgot to take more pics.  :(  Oh, well. I guess I will have to make it again!!!)