Amaretto Cheescake

It was my husbands birthday.  We had not had cheesecake in a long time.  He likes having a shot of amaretto on Saturday night once in a while.  I rolled with it.  I found the cheesecake recipe at Fine Cooking and the amaretto sauce online. I know cheesecake is already pretty decadent but this was my husbands birthday and sauce, in my opinion, always makes things exponentially delicious. Ah, indeed.

Here are a few tips that you may or may not already know about trying to avoid cracks.  Do not beat your batter too much after you add your eggs.  All you mixing should be done before that point.  The other thing I do that works most of the time is that I turn off my oven when I see it is not totally set in the middle- still having lots of jiggle.  I do not take it out.  I let it cool with the oven.  And I think one of the most important tips, which is the hardest is knowing when it is ready. If it is set too much, as it cools it continues to bake and you will get the famous crack that everyone tries to avoid.  Truth be told, who cares- it still tastes amazing!

This cake is rich, not too sweet and very creamy and delicious. A nice chocolate sauce would be good on it too  The next time I make it, I would add a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. And maybe som amaretti cookies for the crust instead of grahams.


Amaretto Cheesecake
Largely adapted from this recipe at Fine Cooking

the cheesecake

4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
pinch of  salt
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbs. amaretto
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

the crust:

8 oz. graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups of crumbs)
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
7 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

To make the crust:

In a bowl combine crumbs and sugar, stir.  Pour in melted butter and stir until the crumbs are saturated and starting to clump.  Pour into a 9 inch springform pan and press into bottom and up sides about 2 inches.  The bottom of a glass will work well for pressing it in.  Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about ten minutes.

To make the cheesecake:

In a mixer beat cream cheese, flour and pinch of salt for about five minutes, scraping down sides periodically. Add the sugar and mix until well blended and smooth.

Add vanilla and amaretto, mix until combined.  Add eggs one at a time being careful not to over beat. Pour the filling into the crust and place in a 300F preheated oven.  Bake for about 60 minutes.  I turned off my oven after 55 minutes and just left it in.  Chill overnight.
 
Amaretto Sauce
Adapted from this recipe at Food and Wine
.
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons amaretto
2 egg yolks

In a double boiler, melt the butter. Slowly whisk in the sugar until the mixture is creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the amaretto and then the egg yolks, 1 at a time, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly until the sauce is the consistency of honey and reaches 160°, about 4 minutes.