Rocky Road Cheesecake

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Every time I hear Rocky Road, it makes me think of the movie “The Goonies” when Sloth is asking Chunk if he wants some Rocky Road ice cream. That gets me every single time…and yes, I’m an 80’s kid.

Since I’m always looking for new and different flavors of cheesecake to put on the menu at Krafty Draft, I did a trial run on how to make this cheesecake a few weeks ago. Originally, I had a small amount of cocoa and put mini marshmallows in the cheesecake along with the chopped pecans. It was a flop. The marshmallows disintegrated during the baking process, and the amount of chocolate wasn’t NEARLY enough. So, I hit the recipe again and made a few modifications.

This time, I made a straight-up chocolate cheesecake, packed it with pecans and put it on a chocolate graham cracker crust, then topped it with a combination of marshmallow creme and whipped cream, then sprinkled it with mini marshmallows. This was the winner, and it sold out almost immediately at the pub. Score.

Rocky Road Cheesecake

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup heavy cream

10 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

For the Topping:

7 oz. container marshmallow creme

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Double-wrap the outside of a 9 inch springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, place inside a 12 inch cake pan. Place chocolate graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small mixing bowl, toss together. Add the melted butter and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Rub butter all along the bottom of the springform pan, then press graham cracker mixture evenly along the bottom. Place pans in the oven to bake for 7 minutes, remove pans from oven and set aside.

Heat ¾ cup heavy cream in microwave for 45-60 seconds, or until it starts to boil. Pour over 10 oz. chocolate chips in a small mixing bowl and whisk together until melted, set aside. In a standing mixer (or in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer), add 8 oz. cream cheese, cornstarch, and 2/3 cups sugar. Beat at medium speed with the paddle attachment until mixture is smooth. Add cocoa and another 8 oz. cream cheese, along with 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add remaining cream cheese and granulated sugar, one at a time, until smooth. Slow mixer to stirring speed, add vanilla, and one egg at a time, scraping down the sides. Turn on to stirring speed and slowly add melted chocolate just until mixed in (do not overmix). Gently stir in chopped pecans. Spoon mixture into springform pan on top of graham cracker crust and spread into an even layer.

Pour warm water into the larger cake pan, creating a water bath (this prevents cracks). The water should come up at least 1 inch around the springform pan. Carefully place pans in oven and bake for about 1 hour 25 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Remove pans from oven, pull the springform pan out of the larger pan and place on a cooling rack for about 4 hours to cool completely. Remove aluminum foil from around pan.

Cover springform pan with plastic wrap and place in freezer to set for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove plastic wrap from springform pan. Release and remove sides of springform. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on top of cheesecake, turn upside down on a flat surface. Carefully remove bottom of pan, turn back over onto a serving plate.

In a small mixing bowl, combine marshmallow fluff and whipped topping, beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread on top of chocolate layer on cheesecake, return to freezer to set for at least 30 minutes.

Cut into slices with a sharp, straight edged knife, wiping knife between each cut. Store cheesecake in refrigerator until ready to serve for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for 1 month. Garnish with mini marshmallows.