INGREDIENTS
For the Crust:
1 ½ cups graham crackers, crumbled
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
For the cake:
2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 medium eggs
For the optional coconut topping:
2 tablespoons soft butter
1/3 cup light cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg or 2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup coconut
Whipped cream
Grated chocolate
DIRECTIONS
To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine crust ingredients and press them into a 10-inch pan. Bake the crust for approximately 10 minutes. Set aside.
Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sugar, cocoa and vanilla until smooth and well-blended. Beat in one egg at a time and mix until well blended. Pour the mixture into crust. Bake for approximately one hour and allow it to cool to room temperature. At this point, it can be chilled in the refrigerator and served.
If using the optional topping, combine butter, sugar, cream and egg in a pan. Cook over medium heat until thick. Remove the pan from heat. Add vanilla, pecans and coconut and allow the mixture to cool. Spread the mixture over the cake. Trim with a border of whipped cream and decorate the cake with grated chocolate. Chill it in the refrigerator before serving.
This recipe was submitted by Dr. Bernadette A. Kutcher, O.D., who is an Echo subscriber living in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. She submitted this recipe in memory of her sister, Mary Ellen Kutcher-Dobbins.
THE CATHOLIC KITCHEN
A reflection by Fr. William N. Wainio, parochial vicar at Saint Patrick Catholic Church and the University Parish Newman Center in Kent.
Some time ago, I remember reading an article titled “What Did Jesus Eat? Coffee and Chocolate Were Not on the Menu.” I was struck by the thought, “What! No coffee … no chocolate!” This month’s recipe, a rich chocolate cheesecake, is one that I think Jesus would truly enjoy. It’s sure to be a delicious dessert.
After putting in the effort to make this beautiful cake and experiencing the joy of setting it on the table to share with family and friends, remember that tables are never just about food, but also about the fellowship we have with one another. Every time we celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist—the Mass—we are celebrating both a meal and a sacrifice. We gather around a table to share in the life-giving bread and saving cup that Jesus Christ has given us as a gift.
While Jesus may never have tasted the sweetness of chocolate, in his Body and Blood, He sacrificed for us so that we might share in the Eucharistic meal—and in that we experience something even sweeter than chocolate. Enjoy this dessert with a cup of fresh-brewed coffee and remember to gather around your kitchen or dining room table to share fellowship as well as this sweet cake!
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