Bitter Blanc Marbled Cheesecake

We love date nights, but then I think every parent enjoys a night out away from the chaos that comes with raising children. With that in mind, Jared and I decided to plan a date night activity for our "Homebuilders" Sunday school group (those who are engaged, newly married, or married with minor children at home). I enjoyed hunting down recipes and deciding on a menu for the evening. We wanted to plan an elegant dinner with salad, appetizers, fresh bread, main entrees, sides, and, of course, dessert. I LOVE to bake, which might be a reason why I still struggle with my weight. :) Anyway, I decided that one of the desserts needed to be a chocolate marbled cheesecake. So I tweaked my regular chocolate cheesecake recipe and it turned out AMAZING! It was rich, silky, chocolaty, and delicious.
You'll need a crunchy chocolate crust, and just a tip, if using sandwich cookies for your crust, DO NOT use an off brand of cookies. You can't leave the filling in the cookie, or you'll have a major mess on your hands, and it's really time consuming to get the filling out of most off brand cookies. Trust me, I made the mistake once and it was awful. Smoke filled the house and I had to toss the first batch after only 20 minutes into baking. After my flop, I decided to just use my usual graham cracker crust recipe but added 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. It worked beautifully. :)

Crust

• 2 sleeves of graham crackers, crushed (or just broken up if you're using your food processor)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder 
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine the ingredients with a fork, or throw all your dry ingredients in your food processor then drizzle your butter in while it pulses.

  
Press into a greased 10" springform pan. I use a heavy-bottomed juice glass to help pat the crust down really well. Got that trick from watching Alton Brown. Set aside.

  

Bittersweet Chocolate Filling

• 2 (8 oz.) blocks of cream cheese, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 6 oz. 72% dark chocolate, melted
• 2 eggs at room
• 1 teaspoon coffee extract
• 2-4 tablespoons Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, the amount depends on how chocolaty you want it

White Chocolate Filling

• 2 (8 oz.) blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 oz. white chocolate, melted
• 2 eggs at room

Prep your fillings in separate bowls in the following order:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Melt chocolate (in separate) bowls by placing in the microwave for one minute intervals (for 2 minutes total) stirring in between till melted. 
3. In a stand mixer, cream your sugar, cream cheese, and extract. Scrape down edges and mix again. For the dark chocolate filling add the cocoa powder here.
4. With the mixer on medium-low (2-4 on my KitchenAid), slowly drizzle your melted chocolate into your cream cheese mixture. Then, add eggs one at a time till combined.
5. Once your fillings are ready, grab a large spoon and start by plopping one spoonful of the bittersweet filling into your crust. Add a spoonful of the white filling and lightly pat down. Repeat till both bowls are empty. Jiggle your pan till the filling reaches the edges of the pan. I decided on this process after reading Not Quite Nigella's instructions and looking at her pictures.
   
    
   
6. Place into the oven for 45-55 minutes till the middle is mostly set. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecakes for one hour. 
7. After the hour, move the cheesecake to a refrigerator and let chill for at least 5 hours (preferrably longer).
8. Pull it out of the fridge, slice it with a sharp knife into 12-16 pieces and enjoy with a cup of GOOD black coffee. :)