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Tiramisu Cheesecake

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The Tough Cookie | Tiramisu Cheesecake | thetoughcookie.com

A few days ago, I posted the following message on my Facebook page:

I just stepped on my Tiramisu Cheesecake.

It was cooling on the balcony.

And I stepped on it…

It was quite a tragedy. I had been baking all day, trying out a number of different recipes for future posts and baking a few special treats I wanted to take with me to my family the next day. I also baked a Tiramisu Cheesecake. It smelled delicious when I took it out of the oven and placed it onto our tiny kitchen balcony to cool. I was really quite pleased with it and couldn’t wait to try it the next day, after it had properly chilled.

Anyway, after I placed the cheesecake outside, I went about my business. After all, I still had an entire kitchen to clean. I set to work, doing the dishes and throwing away scraps of baking parchment and egg shells and what not and, well…

… apparently I kind of forgot about the cheesecake. Because when I stepped onto the balcony to hang a wet tea towel over the balcony railing, I planted my right foot right in the middle of it.

The Tough Cookie | Tiramisu Cheesecake | thetoughcookie.com

To make matters worse, a split second before my foot sunk into the surface of my cheesecake, I suddenly remembered it was there! Aka: I tried to stop my foot from diving in and kind of tried to hop over the cheesecake instead…

To no avail!

The Tough Cookie | Tiramisu Cheesecake | thetoughcookie.com

So, hopping on one foot (after all, the other was all cheesecakey) and on the verge of tears (I can be quite dramatic sometimes) I called out for the Rocking Rebel, hoping he could magically turn back time and make the giant crater in my cheesecake disappear.

Instead, he laughed.

I could tell that he tried to feel sorry for me and comfort me, but apparently the sight of me standing there with Lucy trying to lick my cheesecakey foot and the huge footprint on the surface of my cheesecake was hilarious.

The Tough Cookie | Tiramisu Cheesecake | thetoughcookie.com

And, looking back, I guess it was…

I mean, seriously? I placed a cheesecake to cool on the balcony? One step away from the door? In the dark?

Not my brightest moment, I have to say…

Luckily the edges of the cheesecake were still fine, so after I threw my dirty sock in the wash, the Rocking Rebel quickly grabbed us both a spoon and we scooped out spoonfuls of delicious, boozy Tiramisu Cheesecake while Lucy was still licking my toes, not understanding that the cheesecake had only been on my sock.

Hey, just because the center of the cake was ruined didn’t mean that it should all go to waste…

The Tough Cookie | Tiramisu Cheesecake | thetoughcookie.com

Anyway, this cake is really delicious and tastes exactly like tiramisu. Dust it with powdered sugar and cocoa powder to give it a Christmasy look or just serve it plain. My mom said she preferred the cake without the cocoa, because she felt that the cocoa gave it too much of a chocolate kick, instead of a coffee taste. And, to be honest, I preferred it without the cocoa too, still a little warm and straight out of the pan…

That’s right: the cake where my foot had been in was the best!

I still wouldn’t advise you to step on yours though…

Enjoy!

By the way, if you haven’t entered my Christmas Giveaway yet, there’s still time! The Giveaway closes on the 27th! (closed)

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4.3 from 3 reviews
Tiramisu Cheesecake
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 22 Biscoff cookies
  • 15g (or 1 tablespoon) melted butter
  • 2½ tablespoons of Kahlua
  • ¾ tablespoon Baileys
  • 4 teaspoons of instant coffee powder
  • 700g (or 1½ pounds) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 125g (or ¾ cup + 2 teaspoons) granulated sugar
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 100ml (or ⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) whipping cream
  • cocoa for dusting (optional)
  • powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
  1. Start with the cheesecake crust. Preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F and line the bottom of a 18-cm (7-inch) springform pan with baking parchment. Make sure that you have a roasting pan that's big enough for the springform pan to sit in.
  2. In a food processor, blitz the Biscoff cookies to a fine powder. Add the melted butter and blitz briefly to combine. Tip the cookie mixture into the prepared springform pan and, using the back of a spoon, press the crumbs into an even layer into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until slightly golden and the kitchen smells of freshly baked Biscoff cookies.
  3. In the meantime, make some coffee extract. Combine the Kahlua, Baileys and instant coffee powder in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring until the coffee granules have dissolved. Don't allow the mixture to become too hot, or you will cook off the alcohol. Set aside to cool.
  4. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cheese and sugar. Beat in the eggs an egg yolk, one at a time. Next, mix in the whipping cream, followed by the coffee extract. The batter should look smooth and shiny.
  5. This cheesecake is baked in a water bath, so the bottom and sides of the springform pan need to be wrapped with aluminum foil to ensure that the water will not come in contact with the cake. First, bring 2 liters (a little more than 2 quarts) of water to a boil in a kettle. Get a piece of aluminum foil and place the sprinform pan in the middle of the foil. Wrap the sides of the foil around the pan. Repeat with another piece of aluminum foil. Finally, crimp the tops of the foil sheets around the top edge of the pan.
  6. Place the springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Place a sieve over the springform pan and gently pour in the cream cheese batter. Passing the batter through a sieve ensures that no lumps of cheese end up in the cake. Press the batter through the sieve with a rubber spatula. Place the roasting pan (with the sprinform pan in it) in the oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, about halfway up to the sides of the springform pan. Bake for about 60 minutes, then place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the cake if it's browning too fast and bake for another 25 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are set but the center of the cake is still a little wobbly.
  7. Carefully take the roasting pan out of the oven. Take the springform pan out of the water bath, discard the hot water and leave the cheesecake to cool to room temperature. Once the cheesecake has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  8. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before serving. This takes about 3 hours. Remove the cake from the springform pan by running a knife betwen the edge of the cake and the pan. Open the springform collar and gently remove it. If you want to do a star design on your cheesecake, first dust the top with powdered sugar, place cut out paper stars on top of it and dust with cocoa. If you don't care about a star design, just dust with cocoa, but even that it optional.

 

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Comments

  2. Is the total baking time one hour and 25 minutes? I’ve made many cheesecakes and the max time needed is 60 minutes.

    • Hi! Yes, the total baking time is 1 hour and 25 minutes, or 85 minutes. I don’t know about your other recipes, but I bake this cheesecake for that long and it always comes out perfectly 😉

      I do place a piece of aluminum foil on top after the first 60 minutes of baking, otherwise the cheesecake browns too much…

    • Hi Jennie,

      I haven’t tried this myself yet, but I’m pretty sure you can just omit the alcohol and use 3 tablespoons of hot water instead to dissolve the instant coffee powder. Start with 4 teaspoons of instant coffee powder, mix it into the cheesecake batter and taste if it needs more coffee flavor!

      Let me know how it turned out! 🙂

    • the alcohol will bake out with the heat but you still get the rich flavor of the liquor without the buzz.

    • Hi Elena, thanks for stopping by! I think this cheesecake will indeed make a perfect Easter treat 🙂

  5. I love tiramisu, but never tried it in the form of a cheesecake. Looks beautiful and incredibly delicious! Pinned! You have a beautiful blog!

  6. I just noticed that the cheesecake calls for a 7 inch pan, but I only have a 10 inch! How do you recommend I alter the recipe for more filling? Any help is appreciated!

  7. Hi Nila,

    I am writing a story for Delish.com about cheesecakes that are based on other desserts and would love to use a photo of your Tiramisu Cheesecake in the piece. I will credit you and link back to your site. Our story featuring your recipe may also be featured on our sister sites such as Countryliving.com, Womansday.com and others, which will mean even more exposure. Let me know if that’s OK! Thanks!

    —
    Zoe Bain
    Web Editor
    Delish.com

  8. Hi Nila!

    I stumbled on your recipe and thought it would make a great birthday cake, but I’m planning on making cupcakes instead of a 9 inch cake.
    Do you have any tips on converting this recipe to suit 24 cupcakes?

  9. i want to make this SOOO badly, but my husband and I would never be able to eat it all!

  10. Hi Nada

    Just wanted to thank you for sharing this delightful recipe. I made it for my brother’s 40th birthday party on Saturday and it was amazing! Every guest at the party who tried it said it was delicious and wanted the recipe. Definitely one I will make again 🙂

  11. Hi Tough Cookie
    i really want to make this recipe! but i live in brasil and we have different ingredients, so i have a question.
    The whipping cream needed is required to be whipped or normal, in its naturally more liquid state?
    i want my cheesecake to be veryyy smooth.
    thanks!
    xx

  12. I no longer have a spring pan. I have made my regular cheesecake recipe in a glass pie plate with great success…the top never cracks. I would like to try this in a 9″ pie plate but I realize the baking time would be less. When you take this out of the oven, is the center jiggly until it cools, like a regular cheese cake?

    I just need a tip or two so I’ll know when it’s done. I have all the ingredients and I can’t wait to taste this!

  13. Was sure I’d love this but the coffee flavor was too strong, and it also had a peculiar aftertaste. Not sure what caused that, but I got sick of eating it after 4 or 5 bites.

    Couple of tips:

    If you have all your ingredients at room temperature, there won’t be any lumps so you can skip the sieve.

    If you don’t want to buy a spring pan, use a ten-inch glass pie plate, bake it at 325° for approximately 40 minutes, but start checking it after about 30-35 minutes. The center will be jiggly.

  14. This cheese cake looks delish and I would like to make it for Christmas. Can I used someting else for the base such as graham or vanilla cookies? I don’t know if I will be able to find Biscoff cookies. Can this be made ahead of time? I’m nervous about baking it in water…can it be baked without the water in a spring form pan?