Shelly's Recipe

MARBLE CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST

Category: Cheesecake

Crust
1 3/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling
3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
7 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled

Heat oven to 350. In medium bowl, stir together all crust ingredients. Press mixture evenly in bottom and halfway up sides of 9 inch springform pan.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in sugar and salt until smooth. Beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla just until well-blended and smooth. Pour half of the batter into another medium bowl; stir in melted chocolate. Place springform pan on sturdy baking sheet. Pour 1 cup chocolate batter into springform pan alternately with 1 cup vanilla batter until all batter is used up. To create marbled design, pull blade of table knife through batter, making inchS inch shapes, taking care not to touch bottom or sides of pan. Add 1 to 2 inch of water to a 13x9 inch pan; place in oven on bottom oven rack. Place baking sheet with cheesecake on center oven rack.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until top looks dull and is dry to the touch. Center should move slightly when side of pan is tapped but should not ripple as if liquid. Turn oven off; remove pan of hot water but leave cheesecake inside with oven door open 10 minutes. Cool cheesecake on wire rack, away from drafts, 2 to 3 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. (Cheesecake can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)* For best flavor, remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

TIP *Cheesecake can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 weeks; thaw overnight in refrigerator before serving.