Hershey's Special Dark Truffle Brownie Cheesecake

Hershey's Special Dark Truffle Brownie Cheesecake

I do believe that a dessert this delicious is criminal. That's why I'm putting this cheesecake into the "Delicious Protection Program."

Ingredients for Brownie Layer:
6 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Truffle Cheesecake Layer:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounce package) Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips, divided
1/2 teaspoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch springform pan.

2. For Brownie Layer, stir together melted butter, 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add 2 eggs; stir until blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt; blend well. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownie layer pulls away from sides of pan.

3. Meanwhile for Truffle Cheesecake Layer, beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in 4 eggs, heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well blended.

4. Set aside 2 tablespoons chocolate chips. Place remaining chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at Medium (50%) 1-1/2 minutes or until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Gradually blend melted chocolate into cheesecake batter.

5. Remove Brownie Layer from oven and immediately spoon cheesecake mixture over brownie. Return to oven; continue baking 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool to room temperature. Remove side of pan.

6. Place remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at Medium 30 seconds or until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Drizzle over top of cheesecake. Cover; refrigerate several hours until cold. Garnish as desired. Cover and refrigerate leftover cheesecake.

Opéra Cake

Opéra Cake

Adapted from Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection (Chocolate)

This elegant chocolate-covered cake, whose invention is attributed to the Dalloyau pastry house, consists of layers of biscuit soaked in coffee syrup and garnished with butter cream and chocolate ganache.

Preparation time: 2 hours + refrigeration
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Almond sponge

• 75 grams (2 ½ ounces) icing sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoons flour
• 75 grams (2 ½ ounces) almond powder
• 3 eggs
• 15 grams (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

Ganache

• 200 grams (6 ½ ounces) superior-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 120 ml (4 fl ounces) milk
• 110 ml (3 ¾ fl. ounces) thick cream
• 50 grams (1 ¾ ounces) unsalted butter, softened)

Coffee syrup

• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons instant coffee
• 90 ml (3 fluid ounces) water

Butter cream

• 70 grams (2 ¼ ounces) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 100 g (3 ¼ ounces) unsalted butter, softened

Directions

1. To prepare the sponge layer, first, preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F). Line a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inches) baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and icing sugar, then add the powdered almonds. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until pale. Add the melted butter.

1. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add sugar and continue  beating until stiff peaks are obtained.

1. Add 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the batter, mixing well, then incorporate the remainder, folding until just combined. Pour onto the baking tray and spread evenly. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden and springy when touched. Loosen the edges with a knife and carefully turn out onto a wire rack covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Allow to cool.

1. Place finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Bring milk and 30 ml (1 fluid ounce) of the cream to a boil. Pour the hot liquid onto the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds, then add the butter and mix until smooth. Let cool until a spreadable consistency is obtained.

1. To prepare the coffee syrup, place sugar and 90 ml (3 fluid ounces) of water in a pan and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and add coffee.

1. To prepare butter cream, place sugar and 3 teaspoons of water in a heavy skillet and make a sugar syrup, i.e. stir until sugar is completely dissolved, then boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches soft-ball stage, between 116  and 118 degrees C (214 – 244 degrees F).

1. Beat the egg white until soft peaks are obtained. Continue beating while incorporating the hot syrup. Beat until mixture is cold. Dissolve instant coffee in 1 teaspoon of boiling water, cool and add to butter. Add one half of the egg-white mixture and beat well, then gently fold in the remainder until well combined.

1. Using a sharp knife, divide the sponge into three equal sections and carefully peel off parchment paper from sections. Each should be 10 x 20 cm (4 x 8 inches). Soak the first section with one-third of the coffee syrup, then spread over it half of the butter cream. Place the next section of sponge on top, then soak with coffee syrup and spread with half of the ganache. Place the last section on top, soak with remaining syrup and spread with the rest of the butter cream, taking care to smooth the surface. Chill until butter cream firmly set.

1. Melt the rest of the ganache over a pan of very hot water. Bring the remaining cream to the boiling point and incorporate into ganache. Allow to cool until a smooth, spreadable consistency is obtained and spread over top of cake.

Mini Cheesecakes with wine Gelées

• ACTIVE: 30 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 1 HR PLUS CHILLING
• SERVINGS: MAKES FOUR 3-INCH CAKES

• MAKE-AHEAD
• STAFF-FAVORITE

Kate Zuckerman, pastry chef at Manhattan's Chanterelle and author of the new book, The Sweet Life, thinks most cheesecakes are too heavy and sweet. Her recipe uses goat cheese to lighten the texture and tangy crème fraîche to cut the sweetness. Here, she tops mini cheescakes with wine gelées—a new kind of wine-and-cheese-pairing.

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut out four 3-inch rounds of shirt cardboard. Brush the insides of four 3-inch-round and 2 1/2-inch-deep ring molds with butter. In a food processor, grind the crackers with the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set the molds on the baking sheet and line the bottoms with the cardboard rounds, trimming to fit. Pack the crumbs into the molds; press to compact. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the goat cheese and beat until smooth. Fold in the crème fraîche. Spoon the mixture into the molds and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheesecakes are just set but not browned. Let the cheesecakes cool, then refrigerate them until chilled, at least 1 hour.
3. Heat a sharp, thin-bladed knife under hot water; dry the knife. Carefully run the blade around the edge of each cheesecake. Pressing up on the cardboard, ease the cheesecakes out of the molds; return to the baking sheet. Cut four 11-by-2 1/2-inch strips of parchment paper. Wrap the paper around the perimeter of each cheesecake to form a collar that extends 1 inch above the surface; secure with tape.
4. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let soften. Microwave at high power for about 15 seconds or just until the gelatin is melted. Put the 4 wines in separate ramekins. Add 2 teaspoons of the sugar to the rosé and to the Pinot Noir and microwave for 20 seconds; stir to dissolve the sugar. Stir 1 teaspoon of the melted gelatin into each of the 4 wines. Let the wines stand until cooled, about 10 minutes. Pour one of the wine gelées over each cheesecake and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the parchment-paper collar from each cheesecake. Carefully remove the cardboard bottoms and serve.

NOTES Variation To make one 6-inch cheesecake: Butter a 6-inch springform pan and wrap the outside in foil. Press the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the bottom and bake for 10 minutes. Set the springform pan inside a small roasting pan and fill with the cheesecake mixture. Add enough hot water to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the cheesecake is firm and set. Remove from the water bath and let cool on a rack. Remove the foil and refrigerate until chilled. Unmold the cheesecake and wrap it in a parchment-paper collar that extends 1 inch above the surface; secure with tape. Pour 1/2 cup of one of the wines into a bowl; if using rosé or Pinot Noir, add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Microwave at high power for about 30 seconds, or until the sugar is dissolved. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin over 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and let soften. Heat at high power for 15 seconds, or until the gelatin is melted. Add it to the wine and let stand until slightly thickened but not set, about 10 minutes. Pour the wine gelée over the cheesecake and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until set. Remove the paper collar before serving