Coffee Toffee Cheesecake

My husband's birthday was this week and I wanted to make him some special desserts.  He loves coffee, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  It was so delicious!  The coffee flavor wasn't overpowering, but was just right.  I did make two mistakes, however.  I made the cheesecake on the day of his party, thus it didn't have 24 hours to set and it really should have.  Second, I removed the foil after cooking the crust and when I placed the cake in the pan of water, the water seeped into the pan with the cake.  Even with those errors, it tasted great and looked beautiful!  A definite must try for coffee and cheesecake lovers!

I have never had luck melting chocolate bars in the microwave, so I placed the bar in a glass measuring cup  propped in a pan of boiling water, this worked great and ensured the chocolate wouldn't burn.

12 Servings
Prep: 45 min. Bake: 55 min. + chilling


Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

FILLING:

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/3 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 Heath candy bars (1.4 ounces each), chopped
1 dark chocolate candy bar (1.45 ounces)

Directions:

Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs, butter and sugar. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire
rack.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chips and cream; stir until smooth.  Stir in coffee granules until dissolved. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and salt; gradually beat in chocolate mixture. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. Place
springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1-1/2 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a
wire rack for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Heath bars. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Chop the dark chocolate candy bar; melt in a microwave and stir until smooth. Drizzle over top of
cheesecake.

Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 716 calories, 48 g fat (29 g saturated fat), 165 mg cholesterol, 445 mg sodium, 64 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 10 g protein.

Taste of Home Magazine, April-May 2010