Coming up with a dessert I knew all the nursing staff would enjoy wasn’t too difficult. Add coffee or espresso and it’s a guaranteed success. I didn’t have a single negative critique or at least I didn’t hear any since the other nurses’ mouths were full. (And they only stop running for chocolate)

This cheese cake was a massive 10” cheesecake and was surprisingly tall. It was a just sweet enough with the glaze and had the taste and smell of espresso without being overwhelming. Enjoy!

Chocolate Glazed Espresso Cheesecake

CRUST

2½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used chocolate graham crackers)

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

CHEESECAKE

¼ cup heavy cream

2½ tablespoons instant espresso powder

3 pounds cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1¾ cups sugar

5 eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

GLAZE

⅓ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons corn syrup

½ cup chopped milk chocolate

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease the base of a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.
2. MAKE THE CRUST:In a large bowl, mix the chocolate cookie crumbs with the sugar and melted butter to combine. Press the mixture evenly into the base of the prepared springform pan. Bake until set, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.
3. MAKE THE BATTER:In a small pot, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add the espresso powder and stir to combine. Cool to room temperature.
4. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cream cheese, sour cream, cooled heavy cream with espresso powder and sugar until well combined. Scrape well after mixing. Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing and scraping well after each addition. Add the vanilla and salt, and pulse to combine. (I used the good ol’ kitchen aide because this was way too many ingredients for a food processor)
5. BAKE THE CHEESECAKE:Pour the batter over the cooled crust and transfer to the oven. Once the cheesecake is in the oven, reduce the temperature to 300°F. Bake until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 1 to 1½ hours.
6. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and refrigerate until fully cooled, about 2 hours. Run a knife around the edge of the cooled cheesecake, then release it from the springform pan.
7. MAKE THE GLAZE:In a small pot, heat the cream and corn syrup over medium heat. Place the milk chocolate into a small heat-safe bowl. When the cream comes to a boil, pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 15 seconds, untouched. Mix the ganache to combine, and pour immediately over the cheesecake. Let set before slicing and serving.

Original recipe credit to purewow.com