Cafe Latte Cheesecake

Crust

1 cup vanilla wafer cookie crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter

Filling

4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons instant coffee

1 tablespoon warm water

Crust

Mix crumbs, sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes if using a silver springform pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes if using a dark nonstick springform pan.

Filling

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs, mixing on low speed just until blended.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the batter.  Stir instant coffee into warm water until dissolved.  Add to remaining batter; mix well.  Pour over crust.  Stir milk into reserved batter; pour gently over coffee batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 65 minutes or until center is almost set if using a silver springform pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 65 minutes or until center is almost set if using a dark nonstick springform pan.  Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

My notes:

You have GOT to make this one! Imagine a cafe latte...creamy, rich coffee on the bottom with a luscious dollop of whipped cream floating on top. You take a sip and the two mix in your mouth for a moment of indulgence. Bliss, I tell you, bliss!  My neighbors get a sample of most everything I whip up.  Sometimes they are my guinea pigs.  I took them a piece of Cafe Latte Cheesecake this morning.  She called to tell me the Cream Cake and the Cafe Latte Cheesecake were the best things I have ever made.  And I have been taking something over there about 3 times a week for 5 years.  So, you know those two must rank pretty high.

I did not have any vanilla wafers to use for the crust, but I did have a box of graham cracker crumbs.  I prefer them anyway so that's what I used.  Worked just fine.

I was about a teaspoon shy on the instant coffee crystals, but I went ahead and did it and it worked just fine.  I'm sure if I had the full 3 tablespoons, then the bottom layer would have had an even stronger coffee taste.

I decorated this slice with 3 little chocolate covered espresso beans.  My goodness!  Can I eat cheesecake for breakfast since it's got coffee in it?  That's ok, right?

Do NOT overbake your cheesecake.  Take it out when it is still jiggly in the middle and when you really don't think it's quite done.  I baked mine only 55 minutes in my dark nonstick springform pan and it still cracked as it cooled.  Probably should have done a water bath around it, but I didn't.  Maybe next time.  AND, there definitely will be a next time!  (o: