Cappuccino Cheesecake

I've only made this twice, but it really deserves to be made more often. It's pretty easy, serves a large number of people (easily 12+), and is plain ol' scrumptious. We made it for our Christmas party this year, forgoing the traditional pies.

Cappuccino Cheesecake (San Francisco Encore)

Preheat to 350 degrees. Coat a 9" springform pan with butter.

Combine:
7 TB melted butter
1 ½ C chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
3 TB sugar

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on a cake rack.

In a large bowl, beat until smooth and fluffy:
2 1/4 lbs. cream cheese

Beat in:
1 C sugar
1/4 C heavy cream
1 ½ tsp vanilla

Add, one at a time, beating well:
5 eggs

Set aside 2 1/4 C of the filling.

Mix together, stirring until dissolved:
1 oz. ground semisweet chocolate
1/4 C strong hot espresso coffee
Stir in:
3 TB coffee liqueur (Kahlua)

Add the coffee mixture to the remaining batter, and blend well.

Pour the coffee/cream mix into the prepared crust. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the rim of the cake is set. The center should still be soft. Carefully remove from the oven.

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir into the remaining filling:
½ tsp lemon juice

Carefully pour around the inside of the rim of the pan where the cake is set. Allow the filling to flow into the center. Do not pour directly onto the center or it will collapse. Return to the oven. Continue baking until the sides rise and the center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Cool on a rack. When the bottom and sides are completely cool, remove the rim. Continue to cool at room temperature. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably overnight.