Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

So I guess I said "so long" to winter a little too soon. The temperature has been in the 20's-30's all week...I'm not liking it one bit...

I'm back in hibernate and eat mode...

Needless to say I have been hiding from the cold in the kitchen and now have at least 15 recipes that I need to post...Now if I could just find the time...

This...dessert...is everything I could ever want...chocolate, cheese and cake and its a lighter recipe...yes! With every bite of this cheesecake, I was in heaven. No joke, I actually floated outside of my body and watched myself enjoy every bite of this silky smooth super chocolately piece of heaven...

This is one of the desserts Shawn and I made for Valentines day. We actually made two desserts...one for me (this cheesecake) and one for him (a strawberry angel food cake roll). The two didn't go well together, at all. They were complete opposites in terms of flavor and texture and...well...everything.

But separately, both desserts were the perfect sweet ending to a yummy Valentines day meal (grilled salmon, salad with homemade dressing and wild rice salad).

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
From Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs, 8 whole sheets
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

Filling:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
24 ounces 1 percent cottage cheese
8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Put a small roasting pan on the lower rack and fill about 1/3 full of water. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and wrap the outside bottom of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent any leaks.

Crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, water, and melted butter in a medium bowl until moistened. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes, while preparing the filling.

Filling: Put the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium power until soft and melted, about 1 minute, depending on the power of your oven. Stir until smooth. Puree the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa, and flour and continue to puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until smooth. Add the egg, egg whites, espresso, and vanilla and puree until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and pulse until just combined. Pour over the prepared crust.

Put the pan on the upper rack in the oven and bake until just set and the center jiggles slightly, about 50 to 55 minutes. Turn off the oven and let stand in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake to a cooling rack and run a knife around the edge of the pan.

Let stand at room temperature until cooled, about 2 hours, and then refrigerate until well chilled, 8 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving. For easier serving, slice with a clean hot knife, wiped clean after each slice.