You are going to fall in love with this brownie chunk cheesecake topped with a mocha whipped cream. The combination is absolutely amazing and is sure to impress!
If you can’t choose between making brownies for dessert or a nice rich cheesecake, this is the dessert for you because it is both! It is every bit as decadent as it sounds and totally worth the effort.
So, if you need a dessert to remember, go ahead and make this recipe. It is so good that several of my siblings have requested it for their birthday desserts, and some more than once!
The original recipe comes from Maida Heatter’s Cakes cookbook. There are so many great cakes in there and I have fallen in love with almost every one that I have baked.
Her coffee and cream sponge cake is fabulous and so is her different twist on a carrot cake. The haleakala cake is a must try for pineapple lovers too.
Maida does a great job explaining the process for her recipes and her flavors are fabulous. However, I like to simplify things a bit so my recipe is an easier twist on hers.
Baking Your Cheesecake
Rather than use a water bath, I like to bake my cheesecakes at a lower temperature for a longer time. This helps to get a consistent bake without the fuss.
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How do you avoid a crack without a water bath? Bake the cheesecake low and slow and let it cool slowly too.
This allows the cheesecake to bake through evenly. It helps give it that amazing texture as well.
Cooling it too quickly can also cause a crack. Once it is set, I like to turn off the oven and crack the door open but leave the cheesecake inside.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, I move the cheesecake to the counter to cool to room temperature. Then it goes in the fridge to chill.
The gradual cooling makes such a difference!
If the cheesecake does crack, just cover it up with the mocha whipped cream. Nobody will care, and in fact they will be glad you had an excuse to add the tasty topping!
For more tasty inspiration, check out my collection of cheesecake recipes. There is sure to be something there you’ll love.
Brownie Chunk Cheesecake with Mocha Whipped Cream
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ cup butter
- 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
Cheesecake
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
Mocha Whipped Cream
- 2 Tablespoons bittersweet chocolate
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon instant coffee
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream super cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8″ pan
- In a large saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.½ cup butter, 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
- Stir in coffee powder, extracts, salt and sugar.1 teaspoon instant coffee, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, 1 pinch salt, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.2 large eggs
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the pan and stir until fully incorporated.1 cup all-purpose flour, 3 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Allow them to cool. Enjoy ⅓ of the pan for your treat and cut the other ⅔ of the brownies into really small pieces, about ½″ squares. Freeze the small pieces until ready to use.
Cheesecake
- Preheat your oven to 325°F and grease a 9" springform pan.
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of your pan. (Feel free to double those ingredients if you like a more substantial crust.) Bake for 7 minutes, then set aside.¾ cup graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- In your mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is soft and completely smooth scraping the bowl a few times along the way.2 pounds cream cheese
- Add the vanilla, salt and sugar and beat until well mixed.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt, ½ cups granulated sugar
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix on low speed after each addition and for no longer than is necessary to incorporate the egg.4 large eggs
- Pour enough of the cheesecake batter onto the graham crust to form a layer about ½″ thick. Fold the frozen brownie bits into the remaining cheesecake, being careful to leave them as intact as possible. Spread the batter with brownies into the pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake for about 1½ hours to an hour and 45 minutes. The top should golden brown and the middle should be mostly set. You can check the internal temperature if you’d like, it should be about 150°F.
- Allow to slowly cool to room temperature, then chill for at least a couple of hours.
Topping
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate until it is smooth. Start with a 30 second burst, then stir. Microwave in 15 second bursts after that, stirring after each one until just melted and smooth.2 Tablespoons bittersweet chocolate
- Stir together hot water and instant coffee. Stir into melted chocolate until smooth and allow to cool to room temperature.1 Tablespoon water, 1 Tablespoon instant coffee
- If you have the space, place your mixer bowl and beater in the refrigerator to chill. (It’s not necessary, but does help the cream whip easier.) Whip cream, vanilla and sugar until it just begins to form soft peaks.1 cup heavy whipping cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- With the mixer blade going, add the chocolate/coffee mixture to the bowl. Whip until you reach your desired consistency.
- Pipe or spread over cold cheesecake. Garnish with mini chocolate chips if desired
Notes
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This looks great. I love your recipes. Is it possible to put the name of your recipe in the title or subject of your emails? I never can remember which one it is when I go back to look for the recipe I want. There are several I have come back looking for and it is difficult if I don't remember the name.
I will check definitely check into it! They are generated automatically, but I will have to look through the settings and see if there is anything I can adjust. Thanks so much for following along!
Hi Carlee, I am glad you enjoyed your cheesecake and yup the cream topping worked well too.
Thank you!
Oh my! THIS looks fabulous. Cheesecake is def one of my great weaknesses. I'm so glad I got to finally see what you made with the brownies. I'm so nosey, right??!
Ha! Cheesecake and fudgy brownies are two of my weaknesses, so this was terrible (and great!) to have around. It only made it through two days. Luckily we had help eating it the first night because we couldn't stay out of it the next day!
Damn girl, the rise you got on that cheesecake, I am so glad it worked for you!! The mocha cream was a great idea, just yum Carlee! Hazel x
Thank you! I was surprised how much rise it did get. Overall I was really pleased other than the crack, but that was my own fault!
Carlee I'm so glad you chose the cheesecake it looks delicious! Chiffon cakes tend to be dry, almost like a angel food cake, I don't care for them at all. Plus it's nerve wrecking to make them because they may not rise properly if your not precise with the recipe or instructions. But it is a cake to get off the to do list for the experience.
Lovely cheesecake! The frosting looks delicious!
It really was very good. I definitely need to try a chiffon cake one of these days anyway! Thanks!
Looks delicious! Whipped cream does cover the odd imperfection, doesn't it? I'm not sure that the flipping the cake over to put on a crust is such a great idea, but I know that I would just break the cake in the process, so I did what you did.
I could just imagine ending up with a few pieces of cheesecake falling to the floor and a whole lot of curse words coming from my mouth. The springform definitely kept us from that disaster!
I have been reading through the book quite a bit since I joined this month and find that she is very detailed and a bit long-winded in her instructions. Which I am sure is beneficial to some who are inexperienced in the kitchen but I found myself reading it over and over again. The part on how to line the brownie pan made me chuckle. I love the addition of the mocha whipped cream. Perfect way to conceal imperfections! Mine didn't crack but it was very brown and didn't look appealing which was why I chose to cover it with whipped cream!
I love how festive yours turned out! And I find myself giggling at something in her instructions nearly every month. She is very descriptive, which is very nice. But I love it when she has instructions on flipping cakes that are a couple of sentences long! So far I have really enjoyed everything I have baked from this book though! I am excited to see what next month brings!
That looks amazing Carlee and has made me think perhaps I should try it again but with a few tweaks. I did think the original recipe was rather over complicated.
It is kind of funny to read some of the instructions the flipping and flipping back instructions make me giggle nearly every month! We really did enjoy this cheesecake. I hope your next experience with it is better!
Oh my gosh, that looks beyond good! Cheesecake anything is a fave around here. Will have to think of a special occasion (or maybe just the random weekday!) to whip one of these up. Visiting from Happiness is Homemade party.
Thank you! I hope you do give it a try and I hope you love it!
Great job Carlee, this looks delicious and good thinking with the mocha whipped cream, yum!!
Thanks, Laura! It was sooo good that way!