❈ Neapolitan Cheesecake ❈

Ingredients

Crust
❈   1 1/4 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 13 sandwich cookies)
❈   1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
❈   3 8-oz packages cream cheese
❈   3/4 cup sugar
❈   3 eggs
❈   2 teaspoons vanilla extract
❈   2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
❈   2 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled
❈   1/2 cup fresh strawberries, mashed fine
Ganache Topping
❈   2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
❈   1/4 cup heavy cream
❈   1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions

❈   Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
❈   In a bowl with a fork, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of springform pan and freeze.
❈   In mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
❈   Divide the batter into 3 equal portions. Mix the semisweet chocolate into one third, the white chocolate into another third, and the strawberries into the remaining third.
❈   Spread the chocolate batter over the frozen crust, smoothing out to sides of pan. Refrigerate five minutes. Next carefully add the white chocolate layer, covering the chocolate layer completely. Refrigerate five minutes. Finally, add the strawberry layer, spreading evenly over the white chocolate layer.
❈   Place springform pan on a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and center jiggles slightly, 45-55 minutes. Turn off oven and prop open oven door. Leave cheesecake in oven so that it cools gradually. Remove from oven when oven has cooled and place on a cooling rack. Chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours, overnight is best.
❈   Before serving, prepare the ganache by microwaving the chocolate for one minute or so, until mostly melted. In a separate dish, microwave the heavy cream for 20 seconds, until very warm. Add hot cream to the chocolate and stir, add butter pieces and stir until melted. Spread ganache on top of chilled cheesecake and allow to set before cutting.