S'MORES CHEESECAKE
Warning: This cheesecake is highly addictive and outrageously delicious. Proceed with extreme caution! Milk chocolate, gooey marshmallow, crushed graham crackers- need I say more? It's S'mores on steroids! Oh give me strength...
It's a rather unusual recipe in that you will need a food processor to mix the batter. I ignored those instructions the first time around and used an electric stand mixer instead. Big mistake. It aerated the cheesecake too much, messing with the consistency.
S'MORES CHEESECAKE
SERVES 8-10
Equipment-
- Food processor
- hand mixer
- 9" springform pan with 3/4" sides and a removable bottom,lightly sprayed with Pam
- saucepan filled with simmering water
- heatproof bowl to fit over saucepan
- kitchen torch for browning the topping (optional)
Crust-
- 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from 9 whole crackers ground in the food processor).
- 3 T. sugar
- 6 T. unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted
Filling-
- 9 oz. good quality milk chocolate ( I used Ghiradelli), chopped
- 2- 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- pinch salt
Topping-
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 lg. egg whites
- 3 T. water
- 1 t. cream of tartar
- 12 large marshmallows, cut into quarters
- 1/2 t. vanilla
- pinch salt
- strawberries to serve on the side
To make the crust -
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F. Mix crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Add melted butter and stir until evenly mixed. Press onto bottom of pan and bake until set, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
To make the filling-
Reduce oven temperature to 325F. In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove, and cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally. In a food processor and NOT a mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Process until smooth. With motor running, add heavy cream until just blended, then add melted chocolate, and eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides after each addition. Pour batter over crust and bake until outer edge is slightly puffed and the cake is barely set in the center, about 55 minutes. The center should look shiny and move slightly when pan is gently shaken. Allow to cool on a rack. Chill uncovered until cold, 8 hours or overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated. When ready to use, carefully run a knife around the cake to loosen and carefully remove the ring. Place on a cake platter before making topping.
To make the topping-
In a large heatproof bowl that will fit over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the sugar, egg whites, 3 T. water, cream of tartar, and salt to blend. Set bowl over simmering water and continue whisking until the sugar dissolves, mixture thickens, and is hot to the touch (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from heat and add marshmallows. Keep water simmering in pan. Let m stand until marshmallows are softened, about 3 minutes. Return bowl to pan with simmering water and using a hand mixer, beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Scrape topping onto cheesecake. Using an offset metal spatula, spread topping evenly over cake, swirling decoratively. Let stand for at least 15 minutes, until set. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown topping in spots. Or place under broiler at least 4 inches from heat source and watch very carefully to avoid burning. Chill cake until cold. Serve with fresh strawberries on the side.
Recipe very slightly adapted from epicurious.
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