| Servings |
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup macademia nuts coarsely chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 3 blocks cream cheese full fat version, 24 oz in total
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons orange extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate ganache topping
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
Ingredients Crust
Filling
Chocolate ganache topping
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Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
- Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Set crust aside.
For the filling
- Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Here's a side note. I learned (after the fact) that over beating the cheese mixture during step three will lead to an excess of air in the batter, which leads to excessive puffiness during baking and the dreaded chasm across the top when the puffiness falls during cooling. Mix it just enough to incorporate all of the ingredients, and then stop. I mixed my filling until it was well blended, then I decided to add food coloring to make it more orange. That took much more mixing in the mixer. No wonder the Grand Canyon opened up as it cooled.
- Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface.
- Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water. *I put the water on the rack below the cheesecake, and I think it was a mistake. The cheesecake would have turned out nicer if I'd put it directly into the water bath.
- Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter.
For the chocolate ganache topping
- While the cake was cooling on the counter, I prepared the chocolate ganache. In order to do this, I heated chocolate chips, butter (cut into small cubes), and heavy cream in a pan in the microwave in 30 second increments. I heated it for 30 seconds, then stirred well, then heated for 30 seconds and stirred well. I did that three or four times, until the chocolate was very smooth and creamy. Unfortunately, the chocolate was much too runny to spread on my cheesecake, so I let it sit on the counter for a while, until it cooled and thickened enough to spread.
- Once the cheesecake and the chocolate ganache were sufficiently cool, I covered the whole thing with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill over night.
- Once fully chilled, the cheesecake is ready to serve. *The plastic wrap stuck to my chocolate, making it lose its shine. Oh, well. It all tasted the same!
Recipe Notes
Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!
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© 2009 – 2018, Tara Ziegmont. All rights reserved.
LOL at the first picture!!! It still looks delicious!
Felicia’s last blog post..Make Something Monday: Airplane Birthday Cake!
LOL at the first picture!!! It still looks delicious!
Felicia’s last blog post..Make Something Monday: Airplane Birthday Cake!
Wow – I don’t care if you think the first pic isn’t the best…it looks amazing! Especially with the chocolate. Thanks for the tip for beating it too much. I think that must be why mine get puffy some times.
Thanks for linking to Tasty Tuesday. 🙂
[email protected] Beauty and Bedlam’s last blog post..Freezer Meals…Mexican style for Tasty Tuesday
Wow – I don’t care if you think the first pic isn’t the best…it looks amazing! Especially with the chocolate. Thanks for the tip for beating it too much. I think that must be why mine get puffy some times.
Thanks for linking to Tasty Tuesday. 🙂
[email protected] Beauty and Bedlam’s last blog post..Freezer Meals…Mexican style for Tasty Tuesday
That first picture cracked me up! I love chocolate and orange together too, so this sounds wonderful!!
Kara’s last blog post..Monster Cookies
How scrumptious! I’ve never had this flavor combination. I bet I would like it!
Jerri’s last blog post..Recipe of the Week: Mexican Chicken Casserole
How scrumptious! I’ve never had this flavor combination. I bet I would like it!
Jerri’s last blog post..Recipe of the Week: Mexican Chicken Casserole
Oh my goodness. These pictures are not good for me,right now. I started Weight Watchers, today. Now, as I visit the TMTT posts, I just want to EAT!!!
[email protected]’s last blog post..Tempt My Tummy Tuesday…Curried Chicken, Rice, and Fruit Salad
Oh my goodness. These pictures are not good for me,right now. I started Weight Watchers, today. Now, as I visit the TMTT posts, I just want to EAT!!!
[email protected]’s last blog post..Tempt My Tummy Tuesday…Curried Chicken, Rice, and Fruit Salad
That first picture cracked me up! I love chocolate and orange together too, so this sounds wonderful!!
Kara’s last blog post..Monster Cookies
that looks delicious! I have a heck of time knowing when to stop mixing things
[email protected]&Mayhem’s last blog post..Car shopping
Stacey – That’s my problem exactly. I had no idea. I wanted it to be mixed well!
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It looks Yummy!
Chanelle’s last blog post..Healing my sunburn
Wow, that looks really good! Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
[email protected]’s last blog post..Kentucky Derby Cupcakes
that looks delicious! I have a heck of time knowing when to stop mixing things
[email protected]&Mayhem’s last blog post..Car shopping
Stacey – That’s my problem exactly. I had no idea. I wanted it to be mixed well!
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
It looks Yummy!
Chanelle’s last blog post..Healing my sunburn
WOW! I gotta make this, I love macadamia nuts, I think I would love this!
Brenda’s last blog post..Hard Boiled Eggs for TMTT
This looks so fantastic. I feel hungry for it now!
Jerri’s last blog post..What’s On Your Mind ’09 – Stones of Remembrance
This looks so fantastic. I feel hungry for it now!
Jerri’s last blog post..What’s On Your Mind ’09 – Stones of Remembrance
Wow, that looks really good! Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
[email protected]’s last blog post..Kentucky Derby Cupcakes
My family would get down and beg for this. They love cheesecake and this one is great!
Emily @ marvelous recipes’s last blog post..Deviled Eggs
you had me at orange and chocolate! Two of my favorites!
lana’s last blog post..Petits Fours Junction
you had me at orange and chocolate! Two of my favorites!
lana’s last blog post..Petits Fours Junction
WOW! I gotta make this, I love macadamia nuts, I think I would love this!
Brenda’s last blog post..Hard Boiled Eggs for TMTT
Love the orange flavor, and creative way to cover up the crack, mine cracked also, blah!!!
Love the orange flavor, and creative way to cover up the crack, mine cracked also, blah!!!
hahahaa.. he looks cute with the little googley eyes. Your cheesecake looked fine!
asti’s last blog post..Cheesecakeletes three ways – DB April 2009
hahahaa.. he looks cute with the little googley eyes. Your cheesecake looked fine!
asti’s last blog post..Cheesecakeletes three ways – DB April 2009
My family would get down and beg for this. They love cheesecake and this one is great!
Emily @ marvelous recipes’s last blog post..Deviled Eggs
Topping makes everything better, lol, especially cracks don’t you think. Great job!
Chantal’s last blog post..Daring in April: Cheesecake
Topping makes everything better, lol, especially cracks don’t you think. Great job!
Chantal’s last blog post..Daring in April: Cheesecake
Oh. My. Yum!!!
Jodi’s last blog post..Tasty Thursday
Oh. My. Yum!!!
Jodi’s last blog post..Tasty Thursday
I’m here via Tasty Thursday.
If it tasted good, you did not fail! Besides, from what I can see of the last picture, it looks like you were able to mask that sad little face. Loved your sense of humor too.
My Tasty Thursday is up too.
I’m here via Tasty Thursday.
If it tasted good, you did not fail! Besides, from what I can see of the last picture, it looks like you were able to mask that sad little face. Loved your sense of humor too.
My Tasty Thursday is up too.
I think a delicious cheesecake can’t possibly qualify for cheesecake fail. It looks good to me! Thanks for being a part of the April Daring Bakers Challenge!
Jenny of JennyBakes
JennyBakes’s last blog post..Roasted Strawberry Season
I think a delicious cheesecake can’t possibly qualify for cheesecake fail. It looks good to me! Thanks for being a part of the April Daring Bakers Challenge!
Jenny of JennyBakes
JennyBakes’s last blog post..Roasted Strawberry Season