Tiramisu Cheesecake Recipe

Have you ever had that dilemma of being torn between two desserts? You've only got room in your tummy for one, but you just can't make up your mind! Well, let us introduce you to the concept of the portmanteau dessert. For something truly over the top, you could go with something like the infamous piecaken, made with two types of pie surrounded by cake. For something a bit more mainstream, there's always good old ice cream cake. If you want something that's elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, though, may we suggest this tiramisu cheesecake?

Recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished describes this dessert as "the perfect fusion of cheesecake and tiramisu." She goes on to explain that neither flavor overwhelms the other: "You have the richness of the cheesecake combined with fresh, whipped cream which lends the light airiness of tiramisu." As far as the flavor goes, she explains that "you still have the tanginess of cheesecake combined with a sweet espresso cream flavor [while] chocolate notes from the crust and the dusting of chocolate bar round it all out." If your taste buds are already singing, let's get going on this easy but decadent dessert!

Begin by melting the butter in the microwave, or in a pan on the stove top, or even using your X-ray vision if you happen to be Superman. Next, grind up those graham cracker crumbs — Shelbert used a food processor for this part. When the crumbs are crumby, add the espresso powder and pulse or stir until these two ingredients are combined.

Now, add the melted butter to the crumbs and press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Use your hands or the back of a measuring cup or some similar implement to pack the crust down as firmly as you can, then put the crust into the freezer to chill for a few minutes while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Heat up a cup of water, then mix in the remaining espresso powder and Kahlua. This is the "sauce" for dipping the ladyfingers, which you will do one at a time for just two to three seconds per cookie. As Shelbert tells us, this recipe really isn't all that difficult, but she does have one warning: "The only thing I would be careful for is over-soaking the ladyfingers. Otherwise you will have a soggy middle layer."

As you finish dipping each ladyfinger, lay it on top of the first cheesecake layer. It's okay if you break any ladyfingers to get them to fit since they will be covered by the second cheesecake layer. In fact, once you lay out all of the ladyfingers, you can top off the tiramisu cheesecake with the remaining half of the cheesecake filling.