hazelnut coffee cheesecake

Instructions

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325 F. If making the coffee butter, place the butter and coffee grounds in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and swirl until the butter is melted. Strain out the coffee grounds through a fine mesh sieve and set aside. Whisk the graham cracker crumbs, hazelnut meal, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix with a spatula until evenly incorporated. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. After the pan has cooled, wrap just the sides of the pan in two layers of aluminum foil, with the shiny side facing out (this helps keep the sides of the cheesecake from browning).
2. For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the cream cheese on medium until light, fluffy, and completely smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl repeatedly, making sure that by the end every tiny speck of cream cheese is silky smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on medium, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just until combined and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Using a spatula, give the filling a couple turns to make sure it is fully mixed. (Note: Being without a stand mixer, I used an electric hand mixer for all the mixing and found it worked well.)
3. In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder in a teaspoon of hot water or milk. Add about ½ cup of the cheesecake filling to the espresso mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Pour the regular cheesecake filling over the cooled crust and use an offset spatula to smooth the filling evenly across the pan. Dollop the espresso filling across the regular filling and run a butter knife through the dollops to make a swirl pattern. Bang the bottom of the springform pan on the counter to help get rid of any air bubbles. Sarah notes that she does this quite a few times, until most of the air bubbles on the surface pop.
5. Set a roasting pan on the floor of the oven and fill it with 4 quarts of warm water. Place the springform pan on the oven rack and bake for 1 hour without opening the door. (You may want to check on the cheesecake starting at 45 minutes, however; see Notes.) The outer ring (2 to 3 inches) of the cheesecake should be slightly puffed and fairly firm, and the center should be set but still a bit jiggly when wiggled gently, resembling Jell-O. If the outer ring isn’t firm, let the cheesecake bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. If it is done, turn off the heat, open the oven door just a crack, and let the cheesecake rest and cool in the warm, humid oven for 30 minutes.
6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the foil from the pan, and carefully run a thin knife or offset spatula around the border of the cake to help loosen it from the pan. Once the cake is completely cool, place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the pan (to keep condensation off the top of the cheesecake) and transfer to the refrigerator. Let chill at least 6 hours or overnight.
7. To remove the cheesecake from the pan, run a thin, offset spatula between the sides of the cake and the pan and then gently remove the sides. Slide the spatula between the bottom of the crust and the pan to loosen and then carefully slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!