Cappuccino Cheesecake; a rich and luscious baked cheesecake with a deliciously strong coffee flavour, and cocoa-dusted for decoration, just like a classic cappuccino!

Cheesecake though.

Cheesecake in my house is treated like the arrival of Santa Claus. In fact, cheesecake is the only foodstuff I’ve ever seen my dad get visibly excited about. He doesn’t get very excited about anything…

To be perfectly honest though, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like cheesecake. Thick, sweet and creamy filling atop a buttery digestive biscuit base. It’s always a winner. This particular recipe was created for my cheesecake mad dad, to combine his love of this luscious dessert and his love of a classic cappuccino.

The combination of strong coffee, creamy filling and a dusting of cocoa in this dessert is as close to a giant edible cappuccino as a cheesecake can possibly get.

This Cappuccino Cheesecake is not a good old chilled-set cheesecake like the ones we’re used to in the UK, the old whipped cream and Philadelphia job. This recipe follows more closely the classic American cheesecake which contains eggs and gets baked in the oven. The result is richer, denser and feels even more indulgent than the usual UK version we’re used to. I feel like my family discovered baked cheesecakes too late in life, so now we’re making up for it by eating twice our share!

Have I said cheesecake enough? Cheesecake cheesecake cheesecake. That’s better.

Anyway, down to business.

Preheat your oven and grease/line a 23cm springform tin.

To make the base, use either a food processor or a good old freezer bag and rolling pin to bash the biscuits into fine crumbs. Don’t worry if there are some chunky pieces left!

Melt the butter and mix it through the biscuit crumbs. Try your best not to eat this mixture with a spoon…

Press the mixture down flat into the bottom of the prepared tin and place into the fridge to firm up a little while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Place all the remaining ingredients (except the extra topping ingredients) into a large bowl and beat well until everything is completely smooth and combined.

Pour the cappuccino cheesecake mixture on top of the buttery biscuit base and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes until just set in the middle. It’s ok if there’s a slight wobble in the centre, this should sort itself out as it cools.

Once baked, turn off the oven and cool the cheesecake inside it with the door ajar until completely cool. This helps prevent the cheesecake cracking too much and helps to maintain its creamy texture.

Remove it from the tin and chill the cappuccino cheesecake for at least one hour in the fridge before topping with whipped cream/sour cream/creme fraiche and dusting with a little cocoa powder to give it that classic cappuccino effect.

This cappuccino cheesecake is a dessert that will never disappoint. Everyone who tasted it provided me with that lovely little satisfied noise that only good food can produce. If for nothing else, that is what home baking is all about.

Psst! Have you tried this White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake?

I really urge you to try out this lovely cappuccino cheesecake, even if you don’t want to add the coffee.

Baked cheesecake is so underrated in the UK and yet is so simple and delicious. Don’t fear the cheesecake, love the cheesecake!

Scroll down to find the full recipe to make this cappuccino cheesecake.

See you soon!