Monday Munchies: Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

Valentine's Day is coming up and I'm giving you the perfect Valentine's gift for anyone that loves chocolate.  Or you can make it for yourself and pretend it's for your special someone.  Or you can just make it for yourself and forget about pretending.

This Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake is my go to for impressive, decadent desserts.  It's not difficult to make.  It tastes just as amazing without the topping as it does with, so you don't need to get all fancy.  I use whatever chocolate I can pick up at my local grocery store.  Good quality always makes a better cheesecake but I've used store brands and no one minded.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 1 hour plus baking, cooling and chilling time

Chocolate Wafer Crust
1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs - That's about 12 cookies.  I use oreos or the store brand equivalent.
5 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Tightly wrap bottom of 9-inch springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
2. Mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter in bowl until combined. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

Filling
8 bars (1.5 ounces each) GODIVA Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped - That's 12 oz. for the math phobes out there.  I've used dark chocolate chips and they work beautifully.  In fact, I recommend them and skip the chopping.
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup brewed hot coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds more or until chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth and let cool.

2. Beat cream cheese in mixing bowl until creamy, using electric mixer at low speed. Gradually add sugar and beat until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. At low speed, slowly beat in the coffee. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate until blended. Pour mixture over crust. Place cheesecake in roasting pan. Pour boiling water into roasting pan so that the water comes halfway up the side of the springform pan. Do NOT skip this.  It's part one to a perfect cheesecake. 

3. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until center is firm. Leave cheesecake in the oven and turn off the oven. Prop oven door open and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. This is part two to a perfect cheesecake.
4. Remove cheesecake from roasting pan. Cool cheesecake in the pan on wire rack. When cheesecake is cooled, cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

As I said, you don't have to garnish.  This cheesecake is more than good enough to stand alone.  However, if you are going to garnish, DO IT RIGHT!  DO NOT PUT COOL WHIP or any kind of WHIPPED TOPPING or CANNED WHIPPED CREAM ON THIS CHEESECAKE!!!!!  It is so worth the minimal effort to make real whipped cream because, no matter what it says on the packaging, that premade/fake stuff is NOT as good as the real thing.

Whipped Cream Topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Loosen edge of cheesecake with a knife. Remove side of springform pan.

2. Beat cream, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl until stiff peaks form, using electric mixer at medium speed. Reserve 1 cup whipped cream for garnish. Spread remaining cream over top of cheesecake. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

3. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large closed star tip (such as Ateco #5) with reserved whipped cream. Pipe a border of rosettes around edge of cheesecake. Decorate with chocolate coffee beans.

4. Cut cheesecake into wedges.

Garnish
GODIVA Dark Chocolate, grated
Chocolate Coffee Beans