This is an item that I make fairly regularly at the shop....It is a wonderful combination of velvety smooth cheesiness, caramel overtones and just a slight coffee undertone. It is like having an irish creme coffee.....In a cookie crust. The torte is not difficult to make, any good hand mixer will do, a Kitchenaid type mixer even better...hands free! Here are the ingredients:
For the crust: Virtually any type of cookie will do. I usually recycle cookies that haven't sold, (yes , it does happen) and use them. 11 sandwich-type cookies, or 20 regular cookies, crushed with 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, and 1 egg mixed together, and pressed into a 10" by 2" pan, baked at 350F for 12 minutes. Cool, and set aside.
For the filling:
24ozs softened creme cheese
3/4 cup brown sugar
2.5 tbsps good quality cocoa powder
5 tsps cornstarch
1 vanilla bean split, and cleaned or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Blend well, till smooth and homogeneous.
ADD:
4 eggs plus 1 yolk.....One at a time, blending well after each addition. Do....scrape your bowl well, as one often is left with lumps in the mixture, if this step is omitted. Then blend in:
3/4 cup irish creme liqueur (not flavoring syrup)
1 regular shot of espresso, cooled
Blend the mixture well, scraping the bowl again, and pour into prepared cookie crust. Bake in a water bath, 1/2 way up the sides of the cake pan @ 250F for approximately 70 minutes if making a large unit, if baking 2 smaller units, baking time will be reduced substantially. The cheesecake is done when it "wobbles like a wave, not jiggles like jello", to quote a former professor! The top will be JUST beginning to brown, and there shouldn't be any cracks.....Thanks to the water bath. In the photos, I have simply drizzled a caramel sauce over the top of the finished torte, and piped the script with some chocolate ganache.
