Chocolate Kahlua and Toffee Cheesecake

Where's my fork when I need it most?  My brain hatched a brand spankin' new cheesecake recipe today!

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 ginger snaps, crushed to crumbs

½ cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

* crust mixture has divided use*

Cheesecake batter

3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ tablespoons Kahlua

3 large eggs

½ cup Heath milk chocolate toffee bits

Topping

Reserved ½ cup crust crumbs

Caramel sauce (Ghirardelli brand is really good)

¼ cup toffee bits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Generously spray a 10 inch springform pan with butter flavored non-stick spray.

Combine all crust ingredients in a medium bowl, mix together well with a fork until all crumbs are moistened.  Pour crust mixture into center of pan, spreading into an even layer to cover the bottom completely, not pressing down.  Use a flat-bottomed measuring cup or small drinking glass to press the crust, starting in the center and working outward and up the side about an inch all the way around.  Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes only, remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing batter.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar.  Beat on high speed with electric mixer until smooth.

 In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, Kahlua, and cocoa powder and mix well.  Add sour cream mixture to cream cheese mixture and beat until well incorporated and smooth. 

Add 3 beaten eggs, beat on medium speed until well incorporated. 

Add toffee bits and stir into batter until evenly distributed. 

 

Pour batter into crust, spreading evenly with the back of a spoon so that batter touches the sides of the pan all the way around.  Swivel pan gently back and forth on countertop to allow air bubbles to rise to the top.  Pop them with a toothpick. 

Place in water bath as shown below. I find this the easiest way to keep moisture away from the bottom of the springform pan. No need to mess with wrapping it in foil!  

To make a water bath, first place springform pan into a larger round baking dish.

Then sit it into an even larger rimmed pan and add about 3/4 of an inch of hot water to the outer pan after you put it in the oven.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the center jiggles slightly.

Turn oven off and crack door open slightly, allow to cool in oven for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and gently run thin knife blade all the way around edge to release from side of pan.  Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.  Remove ring from pan.

Drizzle caramel sauce over top.  Combine reserved crust crumbs and toffee bits in a small bowl.  Sprinkle around outer edge all the way around and place some in center. 

Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.