TWD: Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake

I pride myself on trying not to miss a TWD post unless absolutely necessary, but the holidays have really made it difficult the past few weeks. There’s been so much to do I haven’t had the time to bake extra desserts and, in reality, would have had a hard time finding someone to eat them even if I had made them. Fortunately, I was able to make this week’s selection: low and lush chocolate cheesecake – selected by my buddy Margaret of Tea and Scones – and even better, I scaled the recipe way back so I wouldn’t have to try and find a recipient for a 9-inch cheesecake!

I made 1/3 of the recipe, which yielded almost enough for 2 mini-springforms (4.5″). The second springform was a bit on the small side (even for a mini) but it worked out perfectly as I kept that one for myself to taste. Because I made just a fraction of the recipe, I was able to throw the whole thing together in my mini-prep. I substituted Oreos for graham cracker crumbs, leaving the cinnamon out of the crust entirely. I also used semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet for the filling. My filling had a TON of bubbles, and even after rapping the bowl of my mini-prep on the counter several times, I couldn’t get them all out.

I baked my minis for about 17 minutes, at which point they were set, but still jiggled just a bit when I shook the pan. After cooling them to room temperature on a wire rack, I only put them in the refrigerator for 2 hours before unmolding them as I was running out of daylight for photographs. Still, they unmolded perfectly. I’m not big on cheesecake and after all the sweets of the past week I really wasn’t too excited about this dessert. Then I tried a bite. Wow, was it good – creamy with just enough chocolate flavor to make me happy! I ended up eating my entire mini tonight after dinner.

Thanks to Margaret for a great selection! She’ll post the recipe on her blog later today. You can sneak a peek at the other cheesecakes this week by visiting the TWD blogroll.