I was very excited to find this recipe, because I was hoping it would be similar to my all-time favorite dessert–The Cheesecake Factory’s tiramisu cheesecake. Now, theirs has a piece of tiramisu baked into their original cheesecake, (how do they do that?!?), so it wasn’t exactly the same, but the flavor was right, which was what really mattered.

I have to be honest, and admit that I made my cheesecake with a Nilla Wafer crust, as ladyfingers are both expensive and hard to find. The resulting crust stuck to the pan terribly, probably because of how moist it was, and it made the cheesecake lack an important textural component that the ladyfingers would have provided. The cake itself, however, had an amazing, creamy texture, thanks to the 8 oz. of mascarpone cheese mixed in with the cream cheese. And the coffee liqueur whipped cream really finished off the dessert, and made it look amazing, which is ironic, because this is the first cheesecake I’ve made that hasn’t cracked!

• 1 (12 ounce) package ladyfingers (I used 45 Nilla Wafers)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp. coffee liqueur
• 1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a pan of water on the bottom of oven.
Crush the package of ladyfingers to fine crumbs. Mix the melted butter into the crumbs. Moisten with 2 tablespoons of the coffee liqueur. Press into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar until very smooth. Add 1/2 cup coffee liqueur, and mix. Add the eggs and the flour; mix slowly until just smooth. If the cheesecake batter is too thick, add a little cream. Do not overmix at this point. Pour batter into crust.
Place pan on middle rack of oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set. Open oven door, and turn off the heat. Leave cake to cool in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it finish cooling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons coffee liqueur, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
Before serving, top with whipped cream, and grate the semi-sweet chocolate on top.