Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

this cheesecake has a surprise!

...and that surprise is brownies! Yes, that's right, there are brownies right in there with the cheesecake, creating a 'mosaic' of brownie chunks within the cake.  I've never baked a proper cheesecake before, and I was really happy with how this one came out.  The top cracked, but once it was covered by the ganache you couldn't tell. I would have also liked my ganache to be smoother along the top, since the top of the cake was uneven it didn't quite happen.  It was still delicious though, and surprisingly easy for a very impressive cake.



To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” baking pan with foil, leaving the ends of the foil overhanging the sides of the pan. Grease the foil and set aside. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on high for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add salt and flour; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

To prepare the crust, combine all crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Press onto the bottom and one inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Fill right away or chill for up to 2 hours.

mmmm...cheesecake

For the cheesecake, preheat the oven to 350°. Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until well combined.

Pour enough cheesecake batter onto crust to cover the bottom.

Gently place brownie squares on top of cheesecake batter, leaving about an inch or so between pieces.

Add enough cheesecake batter to cover brownies and add more brownies on top of that.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken. Allow to cool completely.

To make the ganache, put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, the pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Working with a rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the center of the bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, stir in the butter piece by piece. Don’t stir the ganache any more than you must to blend the ingredients – the less you work it, the darker, smoother and shinier it will be. Let sit until it thickens to desired consistency. Then pour on top of cooled cheesecake and spread evenly. Chill to set.

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

For the brownies:
 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup butter

1 ¾ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

For the crust:

1 ½ cups finely ground graham crackers

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

For the cheesecake:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar

For the ganache:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, cut into two pieces


Adapted from: Amanda's Cooking