Chocolate Banana Cheesecake

This cheesecake recipe comes from New Vegetarian by Celia Brooks Brown. We have the 2001 version, but I checked the 2005 version amazon sells, and it contains this recipe. This cheesecake is “lighter” than traditional cheesecakes, but still has incredible richness, texture, and flavor. One thing that makes this cheesecake excellent is the chocolate ganache topping. Chocolate and banana go very well together. This recipe is a keeper as we’ve already made this recipe a half dozen times since we purchased the cookbook back in 2002.

Chocolate Cookie Crust:

• 8 ounces plain Milano cookies
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Assemble Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Process cookies in a food processor, then transfer to a bowl. Pour in melted butter, add cocoa, and mix well. Pat mixture into the bottom of the greased springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Cheesecake filling:

• 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 10 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 2 large ripe bananas, broken into chunks
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Assembly:

1. Process the cheeses in a food processor until smooth. Add the bananas, vanilla, and sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, a little at a time, and pulse until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until just set but still slightly wobbly in the middle.
3. Let cool in the pan, and then chill overnight.

Chocolate topping:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 large banana
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.

Assembly:

1. Remove the sides of the springform pan and transfer to a serving plate.
2. Top with the chocolate mixture and spread, letting it dribble over the edge.
3. Cut the banana diagonally into long slices and toss in the lemon juice and pat dry. Arrange on top of cheesecake.
4. Chill until topping is set prior to serving.

Chocolate Banana Cheesecake: