I know I have seriously been M.I.A. when it comes to blogging and cooking. As many of you know, 2018 has been a transformational year for me. This process often requires me to hibernate a bit and be a bit more introspective. However, I have decided that since it's the end of yet another amazing year of life, I would take a sec and reflect, share and wax poetic....and don't worry the amazing Chocolate Cheesecake recipe that I made for Christmas Eve will also be included.

Let's start with what 2018 has taught me. I learned....

1. Sometimes you just need to go home. I moved back to Eureka, CA over a year ago and when I left here over 15 years ago, I was positive I would never return. I was straight up running...from people, places, events and things. However, my heart wanted to come home and this year has been full of amazing gifts...reconnecting with family, old friends, making new friends, laughter, memories and nature. It has been amazing being home and now I am ready for the next adventure of 2019!!

2. Working from home is amazing!! I work from home, or anywhere else for that matter, and I am truly blessed to be rocking yoga pants, messy buns, no make-up and an espresso machine within walking distance. Happy girl!!

3. We get one life and one opportunity to make memories so celebrate each moment and live for those everyday miracles! This year has been filled with amazing adventures-Greece, Mexico, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Atlanta, Ventura County, Calistoga, Napa and I'm sure I forgot a few! It has been filled with incredible people who have touched my heart, made me laugh and made me cry. It has been filled with treasured memories and moments and at the end of the day I can't ask for anything more. I am truly blessed!

4. I am still clumsy AF. This year I got stuck in a gardening pot in Greece that I thought would be a good idea to climb inside. I fell down a hiking trail after laughing at my friend for slipping...instant karma is a bitch!! And oh yeah I may have tripped and ended up in a pond...

5. Celebrate life! My life is not what I envisioned or expected and although I feel like I have continued to be redirected, I am grateful. This life is not guaranteed so love with all of your heart, laugh at your own jokes, live for the moment, find happiness in small celebrations and hold on and enjoy the ride.

As for Chocolate Cheesecake, this recipe is downright amazing. However, I will warn you now that it pretty much will take up every dish in your house. I have never seen so many dishes piled into my sink as I saw Christmas morning, after making this cheesecake. And for the record, dishes in the sink was not the gift that I asked Santa for...so I was not winning!! I also actually started making this recipe on the 23rd because I love my cheesecake after it has sat a little longer than most recipe recommend.



To begin with, the crust is the usual graham cracker and butter crust. However, it has cocoa powder added to it, which makes it a chocolate crust. I was actually a little surprised that it called for regular graham crackers and not chocolate ones, but the cocoa powder did the trick. It was also super easy as you added the ingredients-graham crackers, melted butter and cocoa powder to a food processor and just let it do it's magic. Add the crust to the bottom of your pan and put it in the freezer. As a side note, a lot of cheesecake recipes have the crust go up the sides of the pan, but this one is only on the bottom and it was perfect.

Next, make the filling. The recipe says you can use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, however I used semisweet and it was not too sweet, so that is my recommendation. Melt the chocolate in either a double boiler or a microwave. I have a double boiler and it is beautiful, but let's be honest I used the microwave.

In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar and custard powder. On a side note, I had never used custard powder before and so I was a little scared. However, it is a British ingredient and if you can't find it, I was able to order it on Amazon. It is basically flavored cornstarch and it is used as a thickening ingredient. I do have to warn you that it does have a slightly pink hue, which was a little shocking to me, but hell it worked!!

Next, add the eggs and sour cream to the mixer. Finally, add the cocoa powder, which you want to dissolve in hot water and the melted chocolate. I did find that my cheesecake was not as dark as the picture on the original recipe, but maybe that is because I used the semisweet chocolate and not the bittersweet.

Take the pan out of the freezer and line the outside of  the pan with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. This is due to the fact that you will submerge the bottom of the pan in a water bath. This is my first time using a water bath for a cheesecake recipe and I was incredibly stoked not to have any cracks, so it must have worked.

Place the pan in a roasting pan and add the filling. Add boiling water to the roasting pan, coming up about halfway on the cheesecake. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Once it has baked, remove the plastic wrap and foil and cool on a wire rack. Once it is completely cool, chill in the fridge, covered with plastic overnight.

The last step, which I did the next day, is to make the glaze. Melt the chocolate with heavy cream and corn syrup. Let cool slightly and then fling on the cake. I am not a very meticulous cake decorator so this fling chocolate sauce style was just the right kind of decorating for me.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
For the base:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 T cocoa powder

For the filling:
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped small
2 1/2 cups cream cheese
3/4 cup superfine sugar **I used regular sugar and it was fine**
1 T custard powder **oh yeah I have a ton so if you want any it's yours**
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cocoa powder, dissolved in 1T hot water

Sauce:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped **again I used semisweet and it was great**
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dark corn syrup

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Make the base, process in a food processor, the graham crackers to make rough crumbs and then add the butter and cocoa powder. Process again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs and then tip them into a 9 inch springform pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filling.
3. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler, set aside to cool slightly.
4. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add the sugar and custard powder, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs and then the yolks, and the sour cream. Finally add the cocoa dissolved in hot water and melted chocolate. Mix to a smooth batter.
5. Take the springform pan out of the freezer and line the outside with plastic wrap, and then a layer of aluminum foil. This will protect the pan from the water bath.
6. Sit the springform pan into a roasting pan and pour the cheesecake filling into the pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water, to come about halfway up the cake. Bake in the oven for 45-60 min.
7. Peel away the foil and plastic wrap and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Put it in the refrigerator once it is no longer hot, cover and sit overnight.
8. To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chopped chocolate, cream and corn syrup. When the chocolate has nearly melted, whisk until smooth. Splatter over cheesecake.


This was honestly one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted. It was creamy and not grainy at all. It was light and fluffy. It had the perfect amount of sweetness without being overpowering and it was rich and decadent. Enjoy and Happy New Year!!