Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

Happy National Cheesecake day! Atleast my newsletter from the Cheesecake Factory told me today is. So..in honor, I give you this. I've had this recipe book marked for a very long time, and i'm so glad I finally got around to making it! Who needs Cheesecake Factory anyway? Seriously, make your own. It isn't hard, it's so so good, and it's way cheaper! Make the brownies the day before and it'll make things go a lot smoother. I had just made this not long before I took the pictures, so it wasn't quite set yet, which is why the middle looks a little like pudding. I find that the cheesecake tastes a lot better the next day.
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Smitten Kitchen



Part One: One Bowl Brownies

Adapted from Baker’s One Bowl Brownies

Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Baker’s chocolate, optional of course)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 3/4cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.

Cool brownies, then cut them into 3/4- to 1-inch squares for use in the cheesecake. You will have more than the two cups of cubes loosely measured than you will need. Add cubes to cake batter as directed below.

Part Two: Crumb Crust (You can double recipe if you like a thicker crust, or just leave it as is. I doubled it and ended up throwing some of it away because it looked like too much, but im sure it would have been just fine.)
Adapted from Gourmet, 1999
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double) finely ground cookies such as chocolate wafers. Or Chocolate Teddy Grahams.
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) sugar
1/8 (1/4 teaspoon to double) teaspoon salt

Directions:
Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 9 inch springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.

Part Three: Cheesecake
Adapted from the Three Cities of Spain Coffeehouse
Ingredients:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups brownie cubes (from recipe above)

Directions:
Make crumb crust as directed above for 24-centimeter cheesecake. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make filling and bake cake: Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and sugar, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
When completely cool, top with following glaze.

Part Four: Ganache Glaze
Adapted from Purdy’s original recipe
Ingredients:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up, or 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
2 ounces butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Directions:

Heat cream and butter in microwave or on stove until hot. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir. Add vanilla and confectioners sugar and stir until smooth. Pour over cheesecake or chill until ready to use.