Creamy coffee cheesecake

17/11/2023

Coffee cheesecake is a fascinating variation of the classic American dessert, and with an Italian touch, it can become even more interesting. Here is a creamy version that you may enjoy.

Ingredients

For the base:

200 g of digestive biscuits
100 g of melted butter

For the cream:

500 g of cream cheese (such as Philadelphia)
200 ml of fresh cream
120 g of icing sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of very strong espresso coffee, already prepared (or, if you prefer an Italian alternative, you could use Italian instant coffee mixed with a little boiling water)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the coffee jelly (topping):

1 small cup of espresso coffee
2 sheets of gelatin or 2 g of agar agar
3 tablespoons of sugar

Preparation

Start with the base: blend the biscuits until you get a consistency similar to sand. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter until well combined. Press the mixture into a springform pan, creating an even layer, then put in the refrigerator while you prepare the cream.
Prepare the cream: in a bowl, mix the cream cheese with the icing sugar until it becomes soft and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, continuing to mix. Incorporate the fresh cream, vanilla extract, and espresso coffee, mix until the mixture is homogeneous.
Pour the cheese mixture over the biscuit base in the pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 °C for about 50-60 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake is slightly wobbly but not liquid.
While the cheesecake cools down, prepare the coffee jelly: soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes. Heat the cup of coffee with the sugar in a saucepan and, as soon as it begins to boil, remove from the heat and add the squeezed gelatin (or the agar agar following the instructions on the package). Stir until completely dissolved. Let it cool slightly and then pour gently over the cooled cheesecake.
Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, better if overnight, to allow it to set well.

Serve the cheesecake cold, decorated with coffee beans or, for an extra Italian touch, with grated chocolate or thin shavings.

Curiosity

The traditional cheesecake does not require baking, but this baked version allows for a particularly creamy texture that is perfect to be combined with coffee, an ingredient with a strong and rich personality. Moreover, the use of coffee in sweet creations is very common in Italy, where there is an effort to enhance the unique taste of one of the most representative ingredients of the Beautiful Country.