Video
Tiramisu Cheesecake
Rich and creamy custard-based cheesecake swirled with coffee cheesecake and a layer of espresso-soaked biscuits through the middle. It's topped with cream and cocoa powder for a show-stopping dessert!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ⅓ cups (150g) graham cracker or digestive biscuit crumbs
- 2 tablespoon (30g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon (4g) cocoa powder (I prefer this Dutch cocoa or this one)
- 4 tablespoon (56g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cheesecake Base:
- 20 oz (570g) brick cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- ⅔ cup (150ml) full fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
Coffee Cheesecake filling:
- 1 ½ cups (355ml) Cheesecake Base
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon (6g) espresso powder dissolved in 2 teaspoon (10ml) hot water
Biscuit layer:
- ¼ cup (60ml) freshly brewed hot espresso (or dissolve 1 tablespoon espresso powder in 60ml hot water)
- 15 arrowroot biscuits
Whipped cream topping:
- 1 cup (237ml) 35% whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon (4g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon (30ml) full fat sour cream
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon (12g) cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round non-stick springform pan with a round of parchment paper and then wrap the outside base of the pan with two large sheets of aluminum foil. This will prevent water from getting in when you bake it in a water bath.
- Make the crust. Place graham crackers and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it forms fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. You can also crush the graham crackers in a resealable bag with the bottom of heavy pot or a rolling pan and then mix them together with the sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Tip the mixture out into your prepared baking pan and press it evenly over the base and about 1-inch up the sides of the pan.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden and feels dry.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Bring a kettle to the boil for the water bath.
- Make the filling. Beat soft cream cheese in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer on medium speed until very smooth. Add sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, about 30-45 seconds. Do not over-beat because large bubbles will cause the cheesecake to crack during baking and cooling. Beat in whole eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition so that the batter is smooth before you add the next egg. Mix in egg yolk, then mix in sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure there are no lumps.
- Make the coffee cheesecake filling. Transfer 1½ cups of base cheesecake batter to a clean bowl. Combine espresso powder and hot water and stir until dissolved. Add this espresso to the cheesecake batter and stir to combine evenly.
- Assemble the cheesecake. Pour about half of the base cheesecake batter into the pre-baked crust, spreading it out evenly and popping any air bubbles that you see. Gently spoon half of the espresso batter on top and then very gently swirl it in with a small spoon. Don’t swirl too much or it will fade into the batter and don’t go too deep or you will disturb the crust. Dip the biscuits in hot espresso on both sides so they are soaked well and then place them over the cheesecake batter in an even layer. You can overlap a few or break some in half to cover the surface completely and fill any gaps. Pour over half of the remaining coffee batter then spoon on the base batter. Drop spoonfuls of the rest of the coffee batter over it and swirl just gently
- Carefully place cheesecake on a rimmed baking tray large enough to contain it and place it in the oven. Pour boiling water into the baking sheet to come about ½-inch up the sides of the springform pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until set around the edges but still very wobbly in the middle. Turn the oven off and leave it in for another 10-15 minutes without opening the oven. Don’t try to check on it as all the heat will escape the oven. It is ready when the filling is set but the center is just slightly wobbly or jiggles when the pan is shaken.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. After 10 minutes of cooling, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides and then remove sides of pan. Let cake cool completely.
- Make the cream topping. Place heavy whipping cream and sugar in a medium bowl and beat on medium speed using an electric hand mixer or whisk by hand until it holds soft peaks. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix it through, beating a few more seconds until it reaches slightly firmer (but not stiff) peaks so it is easier to pipe. Fill a piping bag and pipe it in dollops onto the cheesecake in concentric rings as shown in the video below. Use the back of a small spoon to smear the inward facing side of each dollop before you pipe the next ring. Dust heavily with cocoa powder before serving.
