Brownie Cheesecake
Creamy, rich cheesecake with a brownie bottom and swirls of fudge brownie throughout.
Ingredients
Fudge Brownie Base & Swirl
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.)
- 90 g semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ c.)
- 12 g dutch processed cocoa powder (2 tbsp.)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 1 egg
- 40 g all purpose flour (⅓ c.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
- 450 g cream cheese room temperature (two 8-oz bricks)
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 110 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice fresh or bottled
Whipped Ganache
- 150 g heavy whipping cream (⅔ c.)
- 130 g semi-sweet chocolate (¾ c.)
Instructions
Fudge Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom of a 7" springform pan with parchment paper by placing the paper on the base, then snapping the pan together.
- In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter and chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until the mixture is smooth.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder, then add in the egg and sugar and whisk vigorously until well combined (~1 min.)
- Add in the flour and salt. use a rubber spatula to lightly fold the mixture together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour a little less than ½ of the brownie batter into your lined springform pan. Smooth it out into an even layer, then bake for 10-15 minutes, until the brownies have set. In the meantime, start the cheesecake.
Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch to a large mixing bowl (or to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.)
- Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the ingredients together for 2 minutes, until no lumps remain.
- Add the two eggs into the cream cheese, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
- Add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice, and again beat on low speed just until the mixture is cohesive.
- Tap the bowl with the cheesecake filling on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Pour ½ of the cheesecake filling over the baked brownie. Use ½ of the remaining brownie batter to dollop over the cheesecake, then use a knife to gently swirl the brownie batter into the cheesecake.
- Gently pour in the remaining cheesecake batter, smoothing it into an even layer. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cheesecake, and swirl it again.
- Fill a 10" cake pan, or any larger pan that can reasonably fit the 7" springform inside of it, a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tin foil around the bottom of your springform pan to avoid the possibility of water seeping into the springform.
- Place the springform pan into the larger pan, then place the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of at least 155°F / 68°C. If the cheesecake starts to brown while baking, gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top of the pan.
- Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. before transferring it to the fridge to chill for at least 8 hours.
Whipped Ganache
- Place the chocolate into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- Bring the cream to a simmer - either on the stovetop, or by placing the cream in a large microwave safe measuring cup and heating it until it starts to bubble up.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate, and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the ganache to the freezer, and stir every 5-10 minutes until it has significantly thickened up.
- Once the ganache has cooled and thickened, use a hand mixer to lightly whip up the mixture until it is fluffy and has lightened in color
- Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with your desired tip, and pipe it around the cheesecake. Serve and enjoy!