I recently found myself the recipient of a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, and 15 pounds of high quality chocolate. After working on a commercial shoot for an ice cream company, we were given as many leftovers as possible: buckets of frosting, mountains of chocolate, fudge, caramel, those ice cream sandwich cookies. I obviously have a very linear thought process, because the first I thought of were camp fire smores. I know they're associated with summer, but for some reason they seem more suited for winter to me. Maybe it's the roasted/gooey factor. And though there is something wonderfully nostalgic about turning on the stove, and toasting up a few in your kitchen in the dead of night, my burgeoning adulthood cried out to me: this is not the behavior of a young lady! Make something that can be eaten with friends, not scarfed down secretly with tell-tale crumbs on marshmallow residue left on my fingers. So I give you an adult smore: a rich dark chocolate cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, and toasted marshmallow frosting. The cake itself is on the bitter side, gaining acidity from the sour cream and American cream cheese, which lends itself to the sweet frosting and brings out the dark chocolate flavor beautifully. If you want to make this without the frosting, try a less bitter chocolate (65-75% cocoa) and doing half American cream cheese, half mascarpone.
Crust:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ stick butter
½ tablespoon cocoa
Cheesecake:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa or more)
2 ½ cups cream cheese
¾ cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon custard powder
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cocoa, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
9-inch spring form pan
Marshmallow Frosting:
4 egg whites
3 cups sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1½ teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, pulse the graham crackers in the food processor to make rough crumbs, then add the butter and cocoa. Pulse again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs. Put the crumbs in the bottom of the springform cake tin and press them to make an even base, coming up slightly on the sides. Put the tin into the freezer while you make the filling.
Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler, and set aside to cool slightly.
Using a standing or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add the sugar and custard power, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs, yolks, sour cream, and vanilla.
Finally add the dissolved cocoa and melted chocolate and mix to a smooth batter. Make sure the chocolate has cooled, otherwise it will cook the eggs when you add it to the mixture. Take the springform tin out of the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a layer of cling wrap, and then another layer of foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.
Sit the springform tin in a large pan and pour in the cheesecake filling. Fill the pan with just boiled water to come about half way up the cake tin and bake in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set, but still a little wobbly.
Peel away the foil and cling wrap and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool. Put in the refrigerator once it is no longer hot, and leave it to set overnight. Let it come close to room temperature before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.
For the Marshmallow Frosting (AKA Seven Minute Frosting)
Directions:
Place all ingredients, except for Vanilla, in a large double boiler over rapidly boiling water. Beat constantly with a hand mixer for 7 minutes. At this point it should be white and frothy. Remove the icing from heat and add the vanilla. Continue beating until the icing becomes shiny and spreadable.
To toast, get your butane torch going (you can get these at any Kitchen store, such as here) and move it across the top of the cake, a few inches away, not staying on one spot for longer than 5 seconds. Basically eyeball it, and toast it to your liking (though I think a golden toast tastes best).
½ teaspoon cocoa, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
9-inch spring form pan
Marshmallow Frosting:
4 egg whites
3 cups sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1½ teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, pulse the graham crackers in the food processor to make rough crumbs, then add the butter and cocoa. Pulse again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs. Put the crumbs in the bottom of the springform cake tin and press them to make an even base, coming up slightly on the sides. Put the tin into the freezer while you make the filling.
Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler, and set aside to cool slightly.
Using a standing or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add the sugar and custard power, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs, yolks, sour cream, and vanilla.
Finally add the dissolved cocoa and melted chocolate and mix to a smooth batter. Make sure the chocolate has cooled, otherwise it will cook the eggs when you add it to the mixture. Take the springform tin out of the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a layer of cling wrap, and then another layer of foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.
Sit the springform tin in a large pan and pour in the cheesecake filling. Fill the pan with just boiled water to come about half way up the cake tin and bake in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set, but still a little wobbly.
Peel away the foil and cling wrap and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool. Put in the refrigerator once it is no longer hot, and leave it to set overnight. Let it come close to room temperature before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.
For the Marshmallow Frosting (AKA Seven Minute Frosting)
Directions:
Place all ingredients, except for Vanilla, in a large double boiler over rapidly boiling water. Beat constantly with a hand mixer for 7 minutes. At this point it should be white and frothy. Remove the icing from heat and add the vanilla. Continue beating until the icing becomes shiny and spreadable.
To serve, you can decide to do just a dollop on individual slices (as pictured), or an entire layer just on the top. I love this frosting, and while I eating the cheesecake, I honestly kept adding and toasting dollops with every bite.
To toast, get your butane torch going (you can get these at any Kitchen store, such as here) and move it across the top of the cake, a few inches away, not staying on one spot for longer than 5 seconds. Basically eyeball it, and toast it to your liking (though I think a golden toast tastes best).
Enjoy!
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