Coffee cheesecake: the recipe and the variations

With the arrival of the warm weather, people’s mealtime habits change and, also as far as desserts are concerned, people tend to choose something light and summery.

If you want to prepare a cake, cheesecake is always a winning idea: indeed, in many cases it can be prepared without ever turning on the oven!

Today we would like to give you some ideas for preparing coffee cheesecake, with a few variations. But first, the history behind this recipe. 

Cheesecake throughout the world 

Many people believe that this dessert originated in the United States, but actually, the first cheese based cake was made in Greece in around 770 B.C., to celebrate the Olympic games: in fact the athletes were offered a slice of this cake, made with sheep cheese and honey, after their physical efforts.

Subsequently, cheesecake gradually became widespread all over the world, changing appearance and consistency based on the type of cheese used locally to prepare the recipe. In fact, in Greece, it was made with mizithra, in Germany they used quark to make their Käsekuchen, a cake with a shortcrust pastry base and cheese with a consistency similar to ricotta. 

In the United States,  the most famous type of cheesecake is that made in New York, with milk, eggs and egg yolks and topped with fresh fruit.

In Italy, which boasts a vast variety of cheeses, it is prepared using ricotta, mascarpone, yoghurt and fresh spreadable cheeses, to which you can add cocoa, fruit or coffee.

And it is these particular variations that we want to take a closer look at today, giving you suggestions for some mouth-watering recipes for coffee cheesecake.

Suggestions for preparing a good cheesecake

Regardless of the type of cheesecake  that you want to make, there is some fundamental advice to follow for the best result. 

The base

Usually this is prepared using  crumbled biscuits to which melted butter is added.

All of this is then arranged on the bottom of the cheesecake tin, with no need for cooking.

But you can also choose more sumptuous versions by using chocolate or coffee flavored biscuits or by adding a shot of espresso to give the base a stronger taste. If, however, you choose to use a shortcrust pastry base, then of course you must cook it.

The cheese

Whether you choose to use ricotta, yoghurt, mascarpone or fresh cream cheese, always make sure that it is as fresh as possible and the best quality; you can also mix it with granulated sugar, brown sugar or powdered sugar for a sweeter taste. 

The cake tin: better to use a hinge mold 

It is fundamental, especially if you decide to make the biscuit base version, to use a hinge mold which will help the cake to keep its shape.

The cream cheese topping, also tends to be a little too liquid at first: this kind of cake tin will help it to stay in shape until it has cooled properly.

Once it has rested for long enough, you can open the mold and your cheesecake will be nice and high with straight sides. 

Cooked or non-cooked version

The great thing about cheesecake is that you can make it in the way that you want.

If you want a more classic type cake, you can try the version cooked in the oven. If you want to prepare it quickly, choose the non-cooked version, remembering, however, to let it rest in the fridge for at least three hours before serving. 

3 recipes for your coffee cheesecake

After having learnt about the history of this recipe and given you a little advice, now let’s try and make 3 coffee cheesecake recipes. 

Non-cooked Coffee Cheesecake

This non-cooked version of the cheesecake uses a base of chocolate biscuits and a cream cheese flavored with coffee.

Ingredients for 8 people

• 8.82 oz of chocolate biscuits
• 3.53 oz of butter
• 8.82 oz of mascarpone
• 8.82 oz of cream cheese 
• 6.76 fl oz of non-dairy cream 
• 2.82 oz of powdered sugar 
• 6 leaves of gelatine 
• 3 shots of Filicori Zecchini espresso. 
• 2.82 oz of dark chocolate flakes to decorate.
   

Method

1. First of all, put the leaves of gelatine to soak in cold water for 10 minutes. In the meantime, put the biscuits in the blender and chop finely. In a small non-stick pan, melt the butter. Transfer the biscuits into a bowl, pour in the melted butter and mix well. Line a hinge mold baking tin with baking paper, then arrange the biscuit and butter mix on the bottom and level out with a spoon. Finally, cover and put in the fridge to rest. 
2. In the meantime, start on the cream: in a bowl put the cheese and mascarpone. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Half whip the non-dairy cream and add it to the cheese, blend in using slow movements so as not to deflate the mixture. 
3. Prepare the coffee and pour it into a small pan. Wring out the gelatine leaves and put them into the coffee, stirring delicately until you create the gelatine mix that you then add to the cream cheese mix. Mix carefully until you get a smooth creamy mixture.
4. Remove the biscuit base from the fridge, pour the creamy mixture on top and level off with a spatula. Decorate with pieces of dark chocolate and leave to rest in the fridge for at least three hours. Then open the hinge mold and slide your cheesecake carefully onto a serving plate. 

Coffee cheesecake without gelatine

In this version, the base must be left to rest in the fridge before being cooked in the oven together with coffee-flavored cream cheese. 

Ingredients for 8 people

• 7.76 oz of dry biscuits
• 2.82oz of melted butter
• 0.88 oz of brown sugar 
• 14.12 oz of cream cheese  
• 8.82 oz of plain Greek yoghurt  
• 5.07 fl oz of whipping cream
• 7.05 oz of powdered sugar 
• 4 shots of Filicori Zecchini espresso
• 4 eggs

  Method

1. First of all prepare the base: put the biscuits in the food blender together with the brown sugar and blend until the mix becomes a fine crumble, then transfer to a large bowl. Melt the butter and our into the biscuit mix and stir well. Line a  hinge mold baking tin with baking paper, arrange the biscuit mix on the bottom the tin, leveling off with a spoon. Cover and put in the fridge to rest for at least 15 minuti.
2. In the meantime start on the cream. In a large mixing bowl  put the cream cheese, yoghurt and powdered sugar. After having blended everything, add the liquid cream and the eggs, one at a time mixing continuously until you get a smooth mixture. Finally pour in the coffee and mix in well.
3. Arrange the cream over the biscuit base and place in the oven pre-heated to 356° C for 50 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest, then transfer to a serving plate. 

Cheesecake with coffee-flavored shortcrust pastry

In this version, the classic base is substituted by coffee-flavored shortcrust pastry topped with a mascarpone cream.

Ingredients for 8-10 people

for the coffee shortcrust pastry 

• 12.35 oz of pastry flour 
• 3 eggs
• 5.29 oz of sugar 
• 5.29oz of butter
• one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda 
• 1 shot of Filicori Zecchini espresso.

for the cream

• 17.64 oz of mascarpone
• 3.38 fl oz of liquid cream
• 3.53 oz of powdered sugar 
• 2 eggs + 1 yolk
• 1 sachet of  di vanilla essence/vanilla extract 
• 2 shots of Filicori Zecchini espresso

to decorate 

• 2.82 oz of chocolate flakes 

Method

1. First prepare the shortcrust pastry: arrange the flour in a funnel shape and add in the sugar and the bicarbonate of soda. In the centre put the softened butter in small pieces, the eggs and the coffee. Start to mix in with a fork, and once the eggs have been blended in you can use your hands to knead the mix until you get a smooth even mixture. Wrap it in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
2. At this point, start on the cream: in a large bowl beat the whole eggs and the yolks together with the sugar using an electric whisk. Then add the mascarpone, the vanilla extract and continue mixing, then add the lightly whipped liquid cream and mix together. Lastly, pour in the cold coffee. 
3. Take the pastry out of the fridge  and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange it on the bottom of the hinge mold baking tin, pour in the mascarpone cream and coffee and level off the surface using a spatula. Place in the oven pre-heated to 338° F for about 50 minutes, then test with a toothpick to see if it is fully cooked: stick a toothpick into the surface and, if it comes out wet, continue cooking for a few more minutes. 
4. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.Then open the hinge mold and position the pastry-base coffee cheesecake on a serving plate, decorate it with some dark chocolate flakes and a few drops of hot coffee on the slice. 

Do you like these variations of the coffee cheesecake recipe?

If you, too, are food fans and love cooking, we also recommend reading the article dedicated to the coffee cake recipes.