Amaretto & Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with Amaretto Sour Cream Topping
Submitted by longo31
Amaretto chocolate chip cheesecake with a fudgy wafer crust, amaretto cream cheese filling studded with chocolate chips, and an almond-topped sour cream finish. The grown-up dessert centerpiece.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
70 minREADY
90 minThis three-layer cheesecake earns its place at every dinner party where someone wants to make a serious impression. The crust isn’t a generic graham wafer base, it’s vanilla wafers and chopped nuts bound by melted chocolate chips, which sets up like a fudgy brownie under the filling.
The double dose of amaretto (¼ cup in the filling, 1 teaspoon in the topping) gives the cheesecake its signature almond-liqueur perfume. The alcohol bakes off but the marzipan-and-cherry character stays, deepening as the cake sets in the fridge overnight.
The technique trick is the topping. After the cheesecake bakes for an hour, you spread the sour cream and amaretto mixture over the top and return it to the oven for five minutes. That brief second bake sets the topping into a glossy, slightly tangy lid that’s the signature finish of every great deli cheesecake.
Pro Tips
- Wrap the springform with foil to prevent leaking, the cardboard-and-foil method in the directions is foolproof and stops soggy crusts during baking
- All filling ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, sour cream) must be at room temperature, this is the difference between silky and lumpy
- Don’t overbeat once the eggs are added, beating air into the filling causes the surface to crack during baking
- The cheesecake is done when the center still wobbles slightly, residual heat finishes setting it as it cools
- The overnight chill is essential, the cheesecake firms up properly and the amaretto flavor deepens significantly
Variations
- Swap amaretto for Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) for a different nutty character
- Top with macerated dark cherries or a cherry compote for a black-forest-leaning version
- Toast the almonds deeper to a golden brown for a more pronounced toasted flavor on top
Ingredients
Directions
Make the crust:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degree F.
Lightly butter the bottom and side of a 9 x 3” round springform pan. Trim a 9” cardboard cake circle so that it fits snugly within the curved lip of the bottom of the springform pan. Cover the top of the cardboard lined springform bottom with a piece of aluminum foil, leaving a 2” overhang all the way around the edge. Carefully attach the side of the springform so as not to tear the foil. Wrap the foil overhang halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Lightly butter the foil covered bottom and side of the springform pan.
In the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water, melt the chocolate chips with the butter, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove the top part of the double boiler from the bottom and cool the chocolate mixture until tepid.
In a large bowl, stir together the crumbs, nuts and sugar until combined. Add the chocolate mixture and using a fork, stir together the chocolate and crumbs, until combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure that the crust extends 1 inch up the side of the pan. Set aside.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, using a hand held electric mixer set at medium high speed, beat the cream cheese with the sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth.
One at a time, beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in the liqueur, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake the cheesecake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted near the center. Cool for 5 minutes. Do not turn off the oven.
Make the topping: In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, sugar and liqueur until combined and spread it evenly over the surface of the cake. Bake for 5 minutes longer. Cool the cheesecake completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the side of the pan and sprinkle the top with the almonds.
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