Hot Fudge Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

a gluten free recipe by Angela McDermott

Adapted from Fork vs Spoon’s Hot Fudge Cheesecake w/ Brownie Crust, Bon Appetit’s Brownie Bottom Lemon Cheesecake and Nourishing Meals’ Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Flour Cake

Equipment

10” Springform pan

Large roasting pan, 2” deep

Stand or hand mixer

Spatula

Large bowl

Medium bowl

Small sauce pan

Whisk

Measuring spoons

Measuring cups

Parchment paper

Kitchen shears or scissors

Timer

Oven

Pencil

Ingredients

Brownie bottom:

1 ½ cups Pumpkin seed flour

½ cup coconut flour

¼ cup tapioca flour/starch

¾ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

¼- ½ tsp salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup cane sugar or brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, cut into chunks, room temperature

1 cup coffee, warm

¼ cup heavy cream

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp coffee liquer

Cheesecake:

(5) 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 tsp blood orange liqueur

1 tsp vanilla

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 large egg yolks

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp coconut flour

Hot Fudge Sauce:

2/3 cup heavy cream

½ cup raw honey

1/3 cup can sugar

¼- 1/2 tsp salt

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate

3 oz grated cacao or ground/powdered cacao (I used Grenadian cacao)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp blood orange liqueur

Directions:

Separate springform pan bottom from the ring. Tear off a piece of parchment large enough to trace the bottom of pan. The parchment circle should fit the inside of the bottom of the pan. Cut out, put aside. Tear off another piece of parchment long enough to fit on the inside of the ring of the springform pan. Cut in half, the parchment strips should stand 1”-2” above the top of the ring, put aside. The parchment paper will help keep the cheesecake and brownie from sticking to the sides of the pan and later ensure the cheesecake layer will puff up and bake evenly in the oven without overflowing. Fit the bottom and ring of the pan together. Grease the inside of the pan with butter or cooking spray. Fit the parchment paper circle and strips in the pan. Set aside.

Brownie Bottom:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Place small sauce pan on stove. Put coffee and semi-sweet chocolate in the pan, put on medium heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate melts, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, keep warm. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Whisk ingredients until combined. In a medium, bowl whisk together eggs and sugar. Add butter. Add warm coffee a little at a time. Whisk until butter melts. Add heavy cream, vanilla and coffee liqueur. Whisk until all ingredients are combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use a spatula to stir ingredients together, make sure there are no lumps. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 315*F.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add sugar, flour, liqueur and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl, cream until smooth. Put mixer on low speed. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Add sour cream and whipping cream, mix until incorporated.

Place springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour cheesecake mixture into the springform pan over the brownie, smooth the top. Place cheesecake and roasting pan in the middle of the oven. Fill the roasting pan with water (creating a water bath) taking care not to splash any water onto your cheesecake, making sure at least 1” of the springform pan is submerged in water. While baking, the cheesecake should puff up in the oven reaching the top of the parchment paper. Bake for 1hour 20 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake is golden brown, the edges are set and the middle still giggles. Turn off oven. Keep cheesecake in the water bath in the warm oven to cool with the door propped open for 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake and water bath from the oven. Place on the stove and leave the cheesecake in the water bath to cool for an additional 20 minutes. Once springform pan is cool to touch remove from the water bath and cool on a rack for 20 minutes. The cheesecake should shrink and come away from the sides of the pan once cooled. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 12-24 hours for cheesecake to set.

Hot Fudge Sauce:

Makes 2- 2 ½ cups

In a small sauce pot, combine heavy cream, honey, sugar, salt, semi-sweet chocolate and cacao. Stir to combine. Place pot on medium heat. Stir ingredients until chocolate melts. Keep stirring as mixture comes to a boil, about 15-20 minutes. Decrease heat to low stirring frequently on a low boil for 5 minutes. The sauce should begin to thicken and coat the spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla and orange liqueur. Stir until butter melts and is incorporated. Sauce should be cool, but pourable before storing. Separate sauce into two glass pint jars, you will need about ¾ pint jar of sauce for topping cheesecake. Store the sauce in a glass container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Reheat before serving sauce. **Caution–Container will be hot when reheating. Use caution when handling the glass container. **

Microwave: 30 seconds on high. Stir. 30 seconds more. Stir to remove any lumps. Serve.

Oven: Place in warm oven 150*F for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Place back in oven for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to remove any lumps. Serve.

Stovetop: Place a small sauce pan on stove with 2-3 inches of water. Let water come to a boil. Turn off heat. Place glass container with sauce in the pan. Leave in water bath for 5 minutes. Stir to remove any lumps. Leave standing for an additional 2-3 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir to remove any lumps. Remove container from water bath with potholder. Serve

Assembly:

Once cheesecake is set, remove cheesecake and sauce from the refrigerator. Reheat sauce. Run an offset spatula or knife between the cheesecake and parchment paper to loosen it, making it easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Remove the ring and parchment strips from around the cheesecake. Parchment should come away easily from the cheesecake. Loosen cheesecake bottom from parchment with large offset spatula and place on a platter or place springform pan bottom on a platter. Take warm sauce and drizzle over the top until covered. Using a spatula, smooth the top and some sauce let drip down the sides of the cheesecake. Reserve any remaining sauce to garnish individual plates when serving. To slice place a knife in hot water for a few minutes, wipe the knife dry then slice into cheesecake. Place knife in hot water between slices and dry knife before making each cut. Keeps for 4-5 days uncovered in the refrigerator.

To freeze: Cut cheesecake into slices. Place uncovered slices on a sheet pan that will fit into your freezer. Leave in your freezer for 6-24 hours or until frozen solid. Remove frozen slices from freezer. Wrap individual slices in cling wrap, parchment or wax paper and place in an air tight container in your freezer. Keeps for 2-3 months. To defrost: Remove slices from freezer place in refrigerator for 12-24 hours or microwave for 30 seconds increments until cheesecake begins to soften.

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