Deja Vu

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Don't worry, it's not deja vu. You may have seen this before, but don't leave. Just trust me.

Last week I posted a picture and recipe from Annie's Eats called "Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake." I hadn't made it yet, I just intended to.

Many of you drooled over the picture (which was provided by Annie's Eats) and perhaps thought, "oh, that looks pretty good... maybe someday I'll try it."

You know you'll never actually make it.

But I did. And the results? Well...

It's not as pretty as Annie's.

But I had a lot of ganache and a lot of chocolate covered espresso beans... so I wanted to use them.

When my husband really likes a food he opens his eyes really wide, nods twice, and then looks down to the right.

He doesn't know he's doing it; I've just watched and observed him very closely and noticed this reaction when he's really pleased with something.

He did it for the basil pesto pizza topped with feta, artichokes, kalamata olives and grilled chicken.

He did it for the 2-day marinated grilled beef tenderloin.

And yes... he did it for this cheesecake.

Please make it. It takes some time, but Rome wasn't built in a day.

And neither was this masterpiece.

Again:

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake 
Recipe from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the crust:
32 Oreos (white stuff and all), finely processed into crumbs
5 1/3 tbsp. (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, melted
Small pinch of salt

For the ganache:
1½ cups heavy cream
20 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup Kahlua or Bailey's

For the filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1½ tbsp. all-purpose flour
1½ tbsp. dark rum (I used rum extract)
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ tsp. mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 large eggs

For the topping:
1½ cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the crust, butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.  Combine the Oreos, melted butter and salt in a small bowl.  Toss with a fork to moisten all of the crumbs.  Press into a thin layer covering the bottom and sides of the springform pan (at least 3 inches up the sides).
Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan.  Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.  Once the cream reaches a simmer, pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes.  Add the coffee flavored liqueur and whisk in small circles until a smooth ganache has formed (it takes about a minute).  Pour 2 cups of the ganache over the bottom of the crust.  Freeze until the ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.  Reserve the remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature for later decorating.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well blended.  Beat in the flour.  In a small bowl, combine the rum, espresso powder, vanilla and molasses, stirring until the espresso powder dissolves.  Add to the cream cheese mixture and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition.
Pour the filling over the cold ganache in the crust.  Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until the top is lightly browned, puffed and cracked at the edges, and the center moves only very slightly when the pan is lightly shaken, about 1 hour.  Transfer to a wire cooling rack.  Cool 15 minutes while preparing the topping (maintaining the oven temperature.)
To make the topping, whisk together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.  Pour the topping over the hot cheesecake, spreading to cover the filling completely.  Bake until the topping is set, about 10-15 minutes.  Return to the cooling rack and let cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.  Transfer to the refrigerator and let cool at least 3 hours, until completely chilled and set.
To finish, wrap a warm towel around the outside of the springform pan to help loosen the crust from the sides.  Carefully remove the springform.  Transfer the cake to a serving platter.  Place the reserved ganache in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and use to garnish the top of the cake as desired.  Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans as desired.  Chill until the ganache is completely firm, at least 6 hours.