Warm Fudge-Filled Cheesecake

  It's November!  That means that our recipes this month will all have pecans in them (except for the Sunday recipes).  Today's recipe is one that is a favorite in my family.  For as long as I can remember, my dad has been making this cheesecake and it was actually the cake that converted me from a cheesecake hater to a cheesecake lover.  With the chocolate center of this cake, you can either eat it warm, with the chocolate melted, or eat it cold.  Both ways are just as delicious, though personally molten chocolate is my downfall.

  While making this cheesecake, we tried to combine two leftover bags of chocolate hoping it would be enough.  It wasn't.  The pictures below reflect the lack of chocolate.  Where normally there would be a whole layer of chocolate there are just a sprinkle of the chocolate mini-morsels.  It was still extremely tasty (I think there is about 1/2 of the cake left and it was just made three days ago).  This go-to recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, basically any special occasion or even a non-occasion.  You can pair this cake with any drink you would like.  It especially goes well with Cognac or a nice red wine.

  The next few pecan recipes will be more pecan based, but this delicious treat was too yummy to not pass on.  It's not to late to send in your pecan recipes or you could start sending in cookie recipes for December!  Our December recipes will be centered around Christmas cookies so that we can get into the Christmas spirit.  I don't know about you, but as a sweet lover, I'm really looking forward to December.

Warm Fudge-Filled Cheesecake

from Southern Living January 1998 Cookbook

YEILDS: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup chopped pecans

4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate mini-morsels

Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Garnish: chocolate shavings

DIRECTIONS:

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add 1/3 cup of sugar, beating well.  Gradually add flour, beating at low speed until blended.  Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla and pecans.  Press into bottom and 1 ½ inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add 1 ½ cups sugar, beating well.   Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.  Stir in remaining 2 tsp. vanilla.  (Do not overmix.) 

Pour half of batter into prepared crust; sprinkle with chocolate morsels to within ¾ inch of edge.  Pour in remaining batter, starting at outer edge and working toward center.  Place cheesecake on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until set.  Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 1 hour.  Serve slightly warm with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.  Garnish, if desired.