Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

Special Equipment: 8 inch round pan with a solid bottom (no
springform), at least 2 inches deep. Ovenproof baking dish or
skillet, at least 11 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. 8 inch
cardboard cake circle or pan bottom, optional

Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pan, and
spray sides of pan with vegetable oil spray. Put water kettle on to
boil.

Process the cottage cheese in a food processor for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes
or until silk smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl once
or twice as necessary. Set aside.

In a small microwave safe bowl, soften the Neufchatel cheese in
microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Or, warm gently in the top of
a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Scrape into the processor. Add
the eggs, 1 cup of the sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse
until incorporated and perfectly smooth. Do not over process.

In a small bowl, whisk cocoa, coffee powder, and the remaining
tablespoon of sugar with 3 tablespoons water, until smooth. Stir one
cup of the cheesecake batter into chocolate mixture. Set aside. Pour
the plain batter into the prepared pan. Pour the chocolate batter in
a wide ring leaving a bull’s eye of plain batter showing in the
center and a border of plain batter around the edges. Using a table
knife or teaspoon, use circular strokes to marble the batters until
nicely but not too completely mingled.

Slide oven rack part way out. Place cheesecake pan in baking dish or
skillet and set on oven rack. Carefully pour boiling water around the
pan to a depth of about 1 inch. Slide oven rack in gently to avoid
sloshing. Bake until cheesecake has puffed and risen slightly and is
just beginning to shrink from the edges of the pan, about 40-45
minutes. Remove cheesecake from water bath and cool on a rack. When
completely cool, cover and chill for at least 12 hours or up to 2
days before serving. To unmold and serve: Cover the pan with tightly
stretched plastic wrap. Place a flat dish on top of plastic. Invert
pan and dish and rap pan gently until cheesecake is released from
pan. Remove pan and peel parchment liner from bottom of cake. Place
cake circle or serving plate on the cake and carefully invert so that
cake is right side up. Remove plastic wrap. Press crumbs around sides
of cake. Cut with a sharp thin knife. Dip the knife in hot water and
wipe it dry between cuts.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Tips: The suave texture of this cheesecake relies on ultra smooth
cottage cheese. This requires a food processor and at least 2 1/2-3
minutes of processing, no cheating.

Once the Neufchatel Cheese has been added, pulse only enough to
incorporate. Overprocessing thins the batter.

If you use nonfat cottage cheese instead of lowfat, the results will
not be nearly as good and you would save only about .4 grams of fat
per serving. It’s not worth it.

* Alices uses Medaglio D’Oro or Cafe Salvador Brand