Go Back
Bull's Eye Cheesecake draped in ganache on a cake stand with wooden pie server
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Bull's Eye Cheesecake

This beautiful bull's eye cheesecake recipe is by Maida Heatter, a true legend. She and her publisher graciously allowed me to post her recipe here. I used my chocolate graham cracker crust recipe for a little more substance and also went a step further, draping the whole thing in chocolate ganache.
Author: Maida Heatter

Ingredients

Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust (Zoë's Recipe)

  • 9 (140g) full sized graham crackers
  • 4 tbsp (57g) unsalted butter melted
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • pinch salt

Cheesecake Batter (All Ingredients Should be at Room Temperature)

  • 2 lbs (907g) cream cheese*
  • 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract make your own
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup (150g) sugar for the white striped batter
  • 2/3 cup (150g) brown sugar for the chocolate striped batter
  • 1 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
  • 2 tsp dark cocoa powder I used 1 tablespoon for a more intense color and flavor

Zoë's Ganache (Optional)

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp brewed espresso or 2 tsp espresso powder
  • 1 lb (454g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate finely chopped
  • ~1/4 cup (57g) solid coconut oil

Instructions

Cheesecake

Crust

  • In a Food Processor, pulverize the graham crackers until they are powdered. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is coated evenly with the butter. Firmly press the crust in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until it looks dry. Allow to cool as you prepare the batter.

Cheescake Batter

  • Beat the cream cheese until smooth with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, on medium-low speed. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla and almond extracts and salt. Scrape the bowl often and make sure the mixture is smooth before continuing. Add the eggs, one at a time.
  • Divide the batter into two bowls. Add the granulated sugar to one bowl, mix well until sugar is dissolved. Add the brown sugar, espresso and cocoa powder to the second bowl and mix well until sugar is dissolved.

Layer the Batters

  • Pour 3/4 cup of the cocoa batter onto the center of the cooled crust. Pour 3/4 cup of the white batter into the center of the cocoa batter in the pan. Pour 3/4 of the cocoa batter into the center of the white batter in the pan. Repeat this process until you've used all the batter, going back and forth with the two colors. The batter will spread and some of the stripes will be submerged, but you will end up with a bull's eye pattern on top and striped when it is cut. You can watch me make this in my Craftsy Cheesecake Class.
  • Place the cheesecake in a water bath, tent and vent with foil. Bake for about 90 minutes or until the top is set and slightly puffed up. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the cake and allow to cool in the water bath, so it cools slowly. See this process in my Craftsy Cheesecake Class.
  • Remove from pan by waving the pan over the open flame or hot coils of your stove, run the knife around the edge again and invert the cake on to a plastic covered flat disk (cardboard round or the false bottom of a tart pan work well). Invert the cake onto an 8-Inch Cardboard Cake Circle that fits the bottom exactly. If you are not covering in ganache, you can invert directly onto the serving plate. Refrigerate until ready to cover in ganache.

Ganache

  • Heat the cream and espresso until simmering, turn off heat. Add the chopped chocolate and coconut oil, swirl until the chocolate is submerged in the hot cream, allow to sit for 3 minutes. Gently whisk until smooth. Allow to cool until thick and just about room temperature. 
  • Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack, over a parchment lined baking sheet and pour the ganache over the cake. See my instagram or Craftsy class for instructions on how to pour it into a perfectly smooth sheet.
  • Allow to sit several minutes before moving, then refrigerate the cheesecake still on the rack. Run a knife or spatula under the cake and move to a serving plate. Keep refrigerated until ready to cut and serve.

Notes

*Philadelphia is Maida's go-to cream cheese brand and mine too!