Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

Prepared crust (recipe below)
3 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions:
Prepare crust and set aside. Place softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, sour cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth. Add flour a little at a time, beating after each addition, until smooth. Set this mixture aside.

Preheat the oven to 450°. In another bowl, stir together cocoa powder and 1/4 cup sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture, beating until well blended. Spoon the two batters alternately into the crust, ending with chocolate on top. Swirl a knife through the batter to create a marbled look.

Place the cheesecake in the oven, and do not open the oven door again until the baking process is finished. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250° and bake for ­30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. Then, open the oven door and remove the cheesecake. Place on a rack to cool; store in refrigerator, covered.

Crust:
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter

Heat oven to 350°. Mix crumbs, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, bringing it up the sides of the pan about 1/2 inch. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on a rack.



Another great Easy Recipe

Love At Home

There is beauty all around
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound
When there's love at home.

Roses bloom beneath our feet,
All the earth is a garden sweet,
Making life a bliss complete,
When there's love at home.

-- John Hugh McNaughton (1829-1891)