Peppermint Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
I have been wanting to make this cheesecake FOREVER! Seriously. I think since the day I saw it posted on Smitten Kitchen back in 2007. In the summer of 2009, I put it on my Top Ten List, but it still sat on my to-bake list.
I kept telling myself I needed just the right occasion to make this over the top cheesecake. I decided to put it on my 30-while-30 List so that I’d stop making excuses and just make this recipe already.
So when Hubby and I decided to have a few people over for a holiday party, I instantly thought of this cheesecake. I decided to make it seasonal by adding peppermint and crushed candy canes to the cheesecake, ganache, and on top of the ganache.
Chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite holiday combinations. Well I love it year round, but at the holidays, it’s just another excuse to make something choco-minty.
This cheesecake takes a bit of time due to the number of components, but it’s definitely worth the effort! I made my brownies in advance. After cutting them, I froze them for a few days prior to baking the cheesecake. Then I covered the cheesecake and threw it in the fridge for 2 days. I added the ganache the day before the party and put it back in the fridge.
The only changes I made to the recipes below was to swap out vanilla and replace it with peppermint extract. I also stirred in 3/4 cup crushed candy canes into the cheesecake batter. And I crushed more to put on top of the ganache for garnish.
One Year Ago: Caramel Corn
Two Years Ago: Eggplant Parmesan
Three Years Ago: Peppermint Chocolate Cookies and Snickerdoodles
I am submitting this for December’s What’s Baking, hosted by Nicole of Seven Ate Nine. This month’s theme was to celebrate National Brownie Month!
Peppermint Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Cheesecake baked with brownie chunks right in the batter! Topped with peppermint ganache and crushed candy canes. You can leave the peppermint out if you're not in the mood for mint.
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients:
For the One Bowl Brownies
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
For the Chocolate Crumb Crust
3 cups or 10 ounces finely ground cookies such as chocolate wafers or Chocolate Teddy Grahams
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
For the Peppermint Cheesecake
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup sugar
2 cups brownie cubes (from recipe above)
3/4 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
For the Peppermint Ganache Glaze
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up, or 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
2 ounces butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
6 candy canes, crushed
Directions:
For the One Bowl Brownies
Preheat oven to 350. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.
Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.
Cut brownies once cooled.
For the Chocolate Crumb Crust
Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.
For the Peppermint Cheesecake
Make crumb crust as directed above for 9-inch cheesecake. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make filling and bake cake: Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, then peppermint extract and sugar, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
When completely cool, top with following glaze.
For the Peppermint Ganache Glaze
Grind the chocolate into powder in the food processor, scald the butter and cream in a saucepan (or in a Pyrex cup in the microwave). With the machine running, pour the hot cream/butter mixture slowly through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Blend until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down sides once or twice. Add the extract and sugar and process until smooth.
Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Sprinkle crushed candy canes around edges of ganache for garnish.
Chill until ready to serve.
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
it looks delicious!
Beautiful cake! I can’t get over the ending either, too soon!
beantownbaker — December 26th, 2013 @ 10:56 am
Right! It happens every year, but I feel like this year flew by especially quickly.
Wow – super gorgeous!! I’m so glad you love this cake as much as I do! Happy Christmas and almost New Years, doll!!
beantownbaker — December 26th, 2013 @ 10:58 am
Happy Holidays to you too!
This cake looks so beautiful and I bet it tastes divine 🙂 can’t wait to try it!
definitely perfect for new years! i can’t believe this year is almost over, either- crazy!
this is perfect for our holiday-the Florida strawberries have been so sweet – thank you
beantownbaker — January 2nd, 2014 @ 1:31 pm
I wish I lived somewhere where the strawberry season was longer than a few weeks…
I was just thinking, what if we made this w/pink champagne?
beantownbaker — January 2nd, 2014 @ 1:30 pm
I think it would be great with pink champagne!
I know what you mean we grew up and lived in Michigan all our lives. When our kids were little I would take them to the farms to pick blueberries, raspberries and apples. The strawberry season was always short or not at all due to the wet springs we so often had. But we did get farm fresh ones at our local farm market. I now live in Central Florida where I’m learning so much about fresh grown foods. We live a few blocks from Oviedo where DUDA farms are. They are known especially for their celery but so many other fresh veggies. We have a few local farms where you can pick strawberries and blueberries. The gulf coast really has a lot of strawberry farms. On Tuesday our local Publix store had Florida fresh strawberries on sale. I just cleaned them last night (I think my husband took about 1/2 of them to work) We are fortunate, but I still miss Michigan and all the farming communities in our area.
beantownbaker — January 4th, 2014 @ 10:38 am
Wow – I bet things in FL are very different than Michigan! We can usually get strawberries at the farmers market as well. But again, it’s SUCH a short season. Last year we missed it completely. I’m still adjusting to the different seasonal timing in Ohio vs what it was in Boston. We always make a point to pick strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and apples. Peaches and strawberries are two of my favorite summertime fruits.
Woah, thanks a bunch for sharing!
I made this cake for my girlfriend’s surprise birthday party, and it was freaking delicious. Granted this was my first cake I have ever baked, but there wasn’t enough frosting to cover the whole thing and keep part of the actual cake from showing through. I don’t even like cake, and this was bomb!
This CAKE IS THE BOMB!!!!, I found this online in 2014. I showed it to my twin sister, I said, I won’t this for our B-Day, but we didn’t have it until September 2015, and again this year. So delicious, my son Loves it as well, we’re making it tomorrow December 28th 2015 for his birthday. Yummmmy!