S’more mascarpone cheesecake
I had no cheesecakes in my childhood. Doubtless they were out there but the closest thing to a cheesecake we had where I grew up was a tvorozhnik. As the name suggests, it was made out of tvorog (white soft cheese, something between cottage cheese, ricotta and yogurt). Back then it tasted wonderful. For anyone who didn’t know better, that is. Otherwise imagine a cold dense grainy cheese pie with no crust and you might get the gist of it. S’more is another combination that has come into my life fairly recently. I wasn’t even aware of its existence until I was old enough to watch and remember movies where s’mores were somehow referenced. In fact, I only probably fully developed my liking for s’mores after meeting my husband, who loves everything chocolate. So to honour these two discoveries, I give you s’more mascarpone cheesecake.
The addition of mascarpone makes it particularly rich, creamy and decadent; quite unlike the variant of my early years. I recommend using dark chocolate (mine was 52%) for deeper intensity. As always with cheesecakes, use only full fat cream cheese and mascarpone, and bring all ingredients to room temperature. Baking any cheesecake in a water bath helps to slow down the cooking time which ensures a nicer texture, but remember to always change the surrounding temperatures gradually to prevent cracking. Perhaps the only thing I would change is use mini marshmallows but that is entirely up to personal preference. I decorated the cake prior to slicing for better pictures, however, it might be best to top and toast each slice individually to avoid marshmallow sticking to the knife. While toasting the lower levels, remember to hold the torch parallel to the cake so as not to scorch the ganache.
S’more mascarpone cheesecake ingredients:
For the crust:
- 100g graham crackers
- 40g almond meal
- 50g butter, melted
- 1/4tsp salt
For the chocolate ganache:
- 125g dark chocolate
- 100g heavy cream + 2-3tbsp extra
For the filling:
- 500g cream cheese
- 250g mascarpone
- 130g sugar (about 1/2c)
- 3 eggs
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4tsp salt
For the decoration:
- extra graham crackers
- as many marshmallows as you need
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180C (355F). Line with baking paper any 20cm (8inch) cake pan with removable bottom (you can use a bigger pan which will result in a thinner cheesecake but for a smaller pan you will have to reduce quantities to avoid overflowing). Cover the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. Finely crush 100g graham crackers and combine in a bowl with 40g almond meal, 50g melted butter and 1/4tsp salt.
- Stir until evenly coated and then press into the prepared pan with the back of a spoon. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the ganache. Heat 100g of heavy cream and pour it over 125g of broken into squares chocolate. Let stand for a minute and then gently stir until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
- Remove the pan with the crust from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 120C (250F). Place the baking sheet on the lowest shelf of the oven and fill it up with water.
- Carefully spoon and spread half the chocolate ganache over the cooled crust.
- Place 500g cream cheese into a bowl and beat on medium with the beater attachment until very soft, about 2 minutes. Add 250g mascarpone, 130g sugar and 1/4tsp salt and beat for 2 more minutes. (The little black specks near the sugar are vanilla seeds. I try to keep a vanilla bean in my sugar jars because it gives out a nice scent)
- Add 3 eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition.
- Lastly add in 1tsp vanilla extract and beat until well incorporated. Pour the filling over the crust with the chocolate ganache.
- Bake for about 90-120 minutes, depending on your oven. The cheesecake is ready when the edges are firm to the touch but the center is a bit jiggly. Turn off the heat, slightly open the oven door and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for at least an hour.
- Once at room temperature, remove the cheesecake from the oven and place it still in its pan in the refrigerator to chill through, at least for a few hours but preferably overnight.
- When completely chilled and set, remove the cheesecake from the pan and place it onto a serving platter. Add 2-3tbsp extra cream to the remaining chocolate ganache, stir well and gently heat until it reaches pourable consistency.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake so it drips over the sides. Decorate with graham crackers and marshmallows. Lightly toast the marshmallows using a kitchen blow torch.
