Marbled Mascarpone Cheesecake

By AzWench

Ingredients

• Biscotti Crust:
• 1/3 cup chocolate biscotti crumbs (crushed in a food processor)
• Marbled Mascarpone Filling:
• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation

Step 1

Make the Crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 3-inch springform pan. Dust the pan with the biscotti crumbs, covering the bottom and sides. Cut an 18-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap the foil around the outside of the pan.

Make the Filling: In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the water over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove the chocolate from the heat and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until blended. At low speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Spoon the mascarpone cheese into a medium bowl and stir it with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir about 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture into the mascarpone until well blended and smooth. Mixing at a low speed, gradually add this mixture to the remaining batter in the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir the batter with a spatula a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Stir 1 1/2 cups of the batter into the melted chocolate. Scrape the remaining white batter into the prepared pan. Lightly spoon the chocolate batter on top of the white batter so that it is almost completely covered. Using a large spoon, pull the white batter up from the bottom of the pan (without disturbing the crumbs) to create a marbled effect; do this about ten times around the edges of the pan and in the center, so that the whole cake is marbleized (but don't overdo it, or the two batters will end up blended instead of marbleized).

Place the pan into a roasting pan or a large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake the cake in the water bath for 70 to 75 minutes, until the center is set but slightly wobbly (the cake will continue to set up as it cools). Remove the pan from the water bath and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

To serve, slice the cake with a thin-bladed sharp knife, wiping the knife clean between each cut.

Store in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for up to 5 days.