Ah, cheesecake.  I love it!  Give me cheesecake or give me death.  Give me enough cheesecake, and death may follow.  Cheesecake, I found out, began as food for Olympians in ancient Greece.  I don't know that any serious athlete should eat the layered mocha cheesecake pictured here, but if you like coffee and chocolate, this may well be your new drug of choice. 

I made this cheesecake last year for Easter, and had been dying for an opportunity to make it since it appeared in the February/March 2008 issue of Taste of Home.  It was a hit that Easter, and even non coffee drinkers enjoyed this one.

As a side note, this recipe was made before my blogging days, so my apologies for only having one picture, and my notes are basically nonexistant, too.  I did, however, want to share this one so that you will be able to make it ASAP.

This was my first big cheesecake.  I had made a lower fat one that you make in a pie pan, but this one was my first big, cheesecake/springform pan recipe.  Although it has a few steps, one of which is diving the batter in half to flavor it separately, it's a fairly easy recipe.  You don't have to be Paula Deen to achieve success here. 

The flavor is amazing.  Counting the chocolate glaze and the crust, there are four delectable layers to work through.  On top, you have the soft but solid chocolate ganache.  Next you taste a coffee cheesecake layer, followed by the chocolate layer and crust.  They're smooth, silky, dense, and full of flavors that harmonize beautifully together.  I actually went to Cheesecake Factory a couple of weeks ago and ordered their Kahlua Chocolate Coffee Cheesecake, and you know what?  Seriously, their cake was good, but I thought this one was better.  Cross my heart and pinkie swear. 

Layered Mocha Cheesecake
from Taste of Home

1 1/2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon boiling water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

GLAZE:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
Chocolate-covered coffee beans, optional

DIRECTIONS:
Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 16 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.

Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.

Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

Bake at 325° for 55-60 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Garnish with coffee beans if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings.
 
Notes

• I used a cheesecake pan rather than a springform pan.  I remember doing some research and deciding that it may just be easier to use, and it was a lot more durable than the springform pans I found out there. 
• It is important to use good chocolate on the top ganache layer, especially.  It's the main flavoring agent. 
• According to a recent Cooking Light issue, you can interchange Neufchatel and full fat cream cheese, but steer clear of fat free. 
• I remember this being a tough one to test for doneness.  I'd say that you shouldn't wait for a tester to come out spotlessly clean, but as long as it doesn't wiggle like Jello, you should be good.  As with any dessert, overbaking is bad and possibly worse than underbaking.
• Not that this affects much, but I used chocolate chips to decorate the edge rather than coffee beans.

This is a great one!  Make one and bring me a piece!