It’s been a while since I posted about cheesecake, but for the devoted FoodMayhemites, you know I love me some cheesecake. So for our early Hanukkah celebration, I decided to create a new recipe (as I’ve done before). The only real requirements were that it include fresh vanilla bean and use an Oreo crust. Both of these requirements were simply due to having the ingredients on hand.

Vanilla-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake 6

The inspiration came from the Oreos themselves. The whole cake is kind of like a mashed up Oreo, but a bit fancier. When you bite into it, the scent of vanilla fills your nose and the creaminess coats your tongue. Then the rich chocolate flavor, enhanced by the vanilla, takes over, and it’s like drinking really rich chocolate milk.

Unlike my normal cooking, where I write the recipe down as I cook; baking needs a bit more thought. I spent over an hour working up this recipe before even walking into the kitchen. It got rave reviews from the test subjects. I hope you enjoy it too…

Vanilla – Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
~makes one 9″ cake

Ingredients

  • 1 Vanilla Bean
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 5.5 oz Oreo Cookies (14 pieces), crumbled
  • 3 tbsp. Natural Unsweetened Cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tbsp. Milk, warmed
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 24 oz Cream Cheese, softened
  • 3 eggs

Instructions

1. While softening cream cheese, open vanilla bean, scrape seeds into heavy cream, cut pod length in half, drop in cream. Refrigerate for an hour.

Scraping Vanilla

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Boil a pot of water (in a tea kettle is preferable). Wrap outside of 9-inch springform pan in aluminum foil.

3. Combine the melted butter and cookie crumbs. Press into a 9-inch springform. Pack tightly along the bottom and one inch up the side. Set aside.

4. In at least two cup mixing bowl, dissolve cocoa, vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp. sugar into warmed milk. Set aside.

5. Cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in heavy cream / vanilla mixture (remove pod casings first, leave seeds).

6. Add 1/2 cup of cream cheese mixture to cocoa mixture. Combine thoroughly.

7. Pour half of cream cheese mixture over crust in pan. Spoon 1/2 of the cocoa mixture into pan. Pour remaining cream cheese mixture into pan. Pour remaining cocoa mixture into pan in several separate spots (not evenly). Swirl with tip of knife or skewer to create a marbled effect.

8. Move pan into a larger tray for water bath, and put in pre-heated oven. Fill tray at least one inch with water from tea kettle. Bake 45-55 min at 325… do not open the oven during baking! Around 45 min start keeping an eye on the cake. It should be set around the edges and slightly gelatinous in the middle. This means it is done.

Vanilla-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake 5

9. When done, turn off the oven and open the over door about two inches. Leave it this way for another hour. Afterward, wrap the pan (leave the aluminum foil on) in saran wrap and refrigerate over night.

Vanilla-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Slice

posted by Lon at 09:09 PM Filed under Desserts, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.