S'mores Cheesecake

I had been thinking to make cheesecake from scratch for some time now.  I was a little bit discouraged because Alyssa and I tried to make cheesecake a year ago and failed.  We had expected the process to be simple but somehow the filling did not work and we had to throw it out.  But hey, you never learn if you don't try, right?

Well, in a recent trip to Costco I bought a 3 pound brick of cream cheese.  I eat half a bagel for breakfast several days a week but there was no way that I would be able to finish that monster sized cream cheese on just bagels alone.  So yesterday I finally gathered myself and decided to make a cheesecake.

I had purchased graham crackers and marshmallows recently thinking to make s'mores but came up with the s'more cheesecake idea instead.  I took the filling recipe from the cream cheese box, found the graham cracker crust recipe online, and just decide to throw in the marshmallows and chocolate to spice it up.  Granted this could have been a disaster considering that I had not successfully made cheesecake before but luckily it came out well.

What I learned from the experience is that the marshmallows will bubble up and they come through the cream cheese.  Not a problem for taste but not the best for presentation.  I think that using mini-marshmallows instead of these jumbo ones would solve that.  Also, the cake was a little sweet for me, perfect with unsweetened tea, but sweet when eaten alone.  I think that chopping the chocolate more finely and using less of it would take care of that.  But the good news is that I have finally overcome my fear of making cheesecake and failing!  Now, I just hope this wasn't a fluke and my next cake will taste just as good! 

S'mores Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch cake

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons of melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

For the s'mores filling:

Marshmallows
1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped chocolate (depending on how much you like chocolate/sweetness)

For the cheesecake cake filling:
1 pound of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

The Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs.  Pour the melted butter over the mixture and toss with a fork until the crumbs are moist.

2.  Pour the crumbs into a 9 inch springform pan.  Press the graham cracker mixture over the bottom and on the sides to form an even thickness crust.  Bake for 10 minutes and then transfer the pan into the fridge to cool.

Cream Cheese Filling:

3.  In a large bowl combine the vanilla, cream cheese, and sugar.  Using an electric mixture, beat the mixture together to soften the cream cheese.

4.  Add the 2 eggs and mix on low speed until the mixture is combine.

The Cake:

6.  Take the pan out of the oven and line the bottom of the crust with marshmallows (I had large ones so I tore them in half and covered the crust).

7.  Sprinkle the bottom with the chopped chocolate.

8.  Pour the cream cheese filling on top of the marshmallow layer and spread it evenly across the cake.

9.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, until the center of the cake has solidified (with the marshmallows coming through it may not look solidified but I took it out after 40 minutes and the cake was perfect).

10.  Cool the cake in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

~Rona