Coffee lovers rejoice! Dev Amadeo has created the perfect dessert for us!
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Wrap it almost to the top with several layers of aluminum foil (see notes above) and if possible, place it inside a baking bag. Place on a large baking tray.
Break the graham crackers over the bowl of the food processor already attached to its base. Add the 3 tablespoons of sugar and pulse 2 times to make the crumbs smaller. With the processor running, pour in the melted butter, just until the crumbs are very fine and compact but not oily, about 10 to 15 seconds. If there are still big crumbs of crackers, integrate the crumbs stuck to the wall of the bowl and pulse a couple of seconds more.
Transfer to the pan. Press onto the bottom and halfway up to the sides, Use a bottom-flat small measuring cup or utensil to help yourself press down and distribute the crumbs.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Take the crust out and increase oven temperature to 425°.
Mix the espresso with the instant coffee granules until diluted. Let it cool down.
Place the cream cheeses in the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire attached (if you are using a hand mixer, use the beaters). Beat on medium-low speed (#2 in the stand mixer) until cream cheese is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula to make sure there are no big lumps of unbeaten cream cheese. Beat an additional minute. Scrape one more time if necessary.
(Scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl several times throughout the process is key to making the mixture smooth and bubble-free.)
Slow down to minimum speed and gradually add the 1 ¾ cup of sugar. Mix 1 minute. Add the espresso-coffee mixture, the 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the ¼ cup of coconut milk. Stop mixer and scrape the walls and bottom of the bowl once more. Mix in the flour just until incorporated.
Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time. Stop beating as soon as the last yolk is incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once more. Beat on minimum speed for an additional 30 seconds to one minute.
Place the pan with the crust on a baking tray. Pour in the cream cheese filling. Fill baking tray with water half way thru and carefully transfer everything to your oven already in 425° (you can do it vice versa; transfer the tray to the oven, fill it halfway with water and place the pan in the middle but you need to act cautiously fast so the oven temperature doesn't drop much).
Bake for 7 minutes. Lower the temperature to 275° and bake for 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is firm but the center is wobbly when shaken.
Turn off the oven and leave the oven door half open for 20 minutes. Take cheesecake out and let it cool completely. Cover the pan with plastic seal or aluminum foil (not touching the cheesecake). Chill in the fridge for 8 to 10 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to serve, release springform pan and turn cheesecake upside down over a plate or large tray with a cling plastic paper in between. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and the parchment paper. Place serving plate on top and turn cheesecake once more.
Top with the ganache. Sprinkle crushed graham cracker and use Chocolate Cortés chocolate covered coffee beans to decorate.
Roughly chop the Chocolate Cortés Baking Bar and place it in a medium bowl. Add the butter.
In a small sauce pan combine the cream with the sugar. Very gently heat the cream just until it starts to simmer and the sugar has dissolved completety (you should not feel granules). Do not allow the crem to boil rapidly or become too hot.
Pour over the chocolate, making sure it covers all the chocolate. Wait 1 minute.
Very gently stir everything until the chocolate has completely melted nd you hve an homogeneous mixture.
Cover immediately the cold cheesecake.
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