Recipe: Chocolate Orange Cheesecake with Orange Glaze

By Nancy Caivano

Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
with Orange Glaze

Makes 1 cake

Ingredients:

For crust:
About 30 chocolate wafers, ground fine in a blender
or food processor (1-3/4 cups)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

For filling:
1-1/2 lbs cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
2 tbsp finely grated orange zest (from about 4 oranges)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 egg yolk

For glaze:
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
2 tbsp confectioners sugar

Method:

Make crust:
In a small bowl stir together wafer crumbs and butter until combined well. Pat crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a 9-inch springform pan and chill crust 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Make filling:
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar gradually until mixture is combined well. Beat in sour cream, zest, orange juice, Grand Marnier, salt, and flour. Beat in whole eggs and yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Wrap bottom and side of springform pan with three 14 x 12-inch pieces of foil, one at a time, arranging each piece in a different position to make sure foil is at least 1-1/2 inches up side all around. Put pan in a large baking dish and pour filling into crust. Put dish in middle of oven and with a measuring cup slowly add enough water to the baking dish to reach 1/4-inch up the side of springform pan, being careful not to let any water inside foil. (This helps to prevent cheesecake surface from cracking).

Bake cheesecake 1 hour 15 minutes, or until edges are just set but middle still trembles slightly. Turn off oven and let cheesecake stand 1 hour with oven door halfway opened (Cheesecake will continue to set as it stands). Remove dish from oven carefully and transfer cheesecake in pan to a rack to cool completely. Remove foil and chill cheesecake, covered loosely, 6 hours or overnight.

Make glaze:
In a small saucepan melt marmalade over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Add Grand Marnier and sugar, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to warm.

Remove side of springform pan and spread marmalade evenly on top of cheesecake. Chill cheesecake 2 hours (glaze will soften if served at room temperature).