Cafe Con Leche Cheesecake
and making efforts to bloom where you're planted
Last Saturday, we woke up early (because we have a toddler) and braved the overcast drizzle that seemed to stretch on all morning in search of cafe con leche and pastelitos. Marco perched his little self up on a barstool at our local Cuban coffee shop, his chubby little hands cramming croquetas in his mouth and enthusiastically pointing out every truck, car, bus, or dog that passed by the window.
Growing up in South Florida, there was great Cuban food on every corner. Most of our family dinners out were at Romeu’s Cuban Restaurant over big platters or mariquitas (fried plaintain chips with a mojo garlic sauce) and thinly pound palomilla steaks and my first stop when coming home from college was always for giant cafe con leches from the gas station across the street.
As an adult looking back, it must have been quite the culture shock for my parents when they moved our family from suburban North Carolina to the outskirts of Miami in the late 90s for my dad’s work. But they just embraced it. I don’t remember them complaining about missing NC (although I’m sure they did), I just remember them learning and becoming part of our new community. Whether they knew it or not, they modeled for me and my sister the idea of blooming where you’re planted and finding joy in new adventures.
Martin and I have moved a lot in our lives together and we’ve made an effort to embrace each of our new homes with open arms. I feel really strongly that when you move to a new place, you have two choices: you can either spend your time dwelling on where you’d rather be or you can open yourself up to new people and places and ways of doing things in hopes that you will find something that you love.
Yes, Seattle is gray and rainy, but there is nothing quite as cozy as walking in the drizzle to a cafe and warming up with a cup of hot tea. Yes, Minneapolis is very, very cold, but they have the most beautiful parks and lakes and outdoor spaces to explore—places that are uniquely beautiful even in the dead of winter, you just need a warm parka. And yes, New York City is loud and crowded, but it is so rich and diverse and it is a privilege to share space with so many people from so many places.
I’m working to remind myself that time really does fly and there is so much for me to explore and learn and do in whatever season I’m currently in and I don’t want to miss a single part of it.
and now for cheesecake…
Lucky for us, we live about 6 miles from Union City, NJ, also known as Havana on the Hudson, which has one of the highest populations of Cubans in the U.S., just after Miami. This makes finding great Cuban coffee easy.
If you’re unfamiliar with cafe con leche, it’s just strong espresso brewed with steamed milk and often a little sugar (similar to a cafe au lait or a latte) and it was the inspiration for this cheesecake. It’s a two-toned cheesecake, with strong espresso stirred into half of the batter and layered before baking. I used Maria cookies for the crust to stick with the Latin theme, but you could use graham crackers or another lightly sweetened cookie if that’s what you have on hand. The cheesecake is finished with a sweetened sour cream whipped cream topping.
cafe con leche cheesecake
makes one 9” cheesecake
Ingredients:
for the crust
7 oz Maria Cookies *
1 tsp instant espresso
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
for the cheesecake
2 lb cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups (150 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup (57 g) heavy cream
2 tbsp instant espresso
2 tbsp Kahlua
for the topping
3/4 cup (170 g) sour cream
1/4 cup (57 g) heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Procedure:
to make the crust
Preheat oven to 325° F and line the bottom of a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies until finely ground. Add the espresso, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Pulse a few more times, just to combine. Transfer the cookie mixture to a medium bowl and add the melted butter. Stir everything together until the mixture is moistened and no dry spots remain. Press the cookie crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
to make the cheesecake
In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped whites to another bowl and set aside.
Dissolve the instant espresso in heavy cream and set aside.
Return the mixing bowl to the stand mixer and switch to the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch until there are no clumps. Add the sugar and cornstarch to the mixer with the cream cheese and mix for 1-2 minutes until combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and continue to mix until the batter is smooth and homogenous.
Remove In two additions, fold whipped egg whites into cheesecake batter until no streaks remain.
Pour two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Add the espresso/heavy cream mixture to the remaining third of the batter, along with the Kahlua. Mix well to combine, and then pour in a layer on top of the cheesecake.
Place cheesecake in a water bath and bake for one hour. After an hour, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in with the oven door closed for another hour. After two hours, remove the cheesecake from the oven, wrap in plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
to make the topping
In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whip sour cream and heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until thick. Spoon whipped cream over the top of your chilled cheesecake and serve immediately.