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No-Bake Espresso Cheesecake

I learned this recipe from a Spanish chef who works a bunch of catering events for small groups of fifty people or less. I love the simplicity of the recipe, and it comes out tasting really great.
You can have this entire dessert ready in less than thirty minutes, and you can feed a huge number of people if you scale the ingredient quantities up!
The following recipe serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

  • 2 Tbsp salted butter (melted)
  • 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 3 whole Graham Crackers (crushed into tiny pieces)

For the No-Bake Cheesecake Filling:

  • 1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese (softened at room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup Philadelphia cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
  • 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar (or more, to taste)
  • 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 1 shot of espresso (or 30-45 mL of very strongly-brewed coffee, or more, to taste)
  • A tiny sprinkle of Kosher salt
  • A tiny pinch of cocoa powder (for dusting on top at the end)

Instructions 

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

  • Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepot.
  • Mix the butter and brown sugar with the crushed graham crackers.
  • Press the mixture down into a thin layer of the mixture in the bottom of your serving glasses.
  • Set the prepared glasses lined with a base of the Graham Cracker filling in the fridge for whenever you are ready to add your filling.

For the No-Bake Cheesecake Filling:

  • Use an electric hand mixer to whip together the softened Mascarpone cheese, Philadelphia cream cheese, white granulated sugar, and the heavy whipping cream, until airy and softened.
  • Add in the espresso or strongly-brewed coffee, in addition to a tiny pinch of Kosher salt, and continue to mix until you arrive at a soft and spreadable consistency.
  • Taste, and add more espresso or sugar, as desired.
  • Serve the whipped Mascarpone and Cream Cheese mixture in the bowls that you prepared earlier with the Graham Cracker base.
  • Dust the tops of each serving bowl with an incredibly light dusting (barely noticeable) sprinkle of cocoa powder.
  • *Use something like a fine mesh tea strainer for this, and really very gently tap the side of the mesh strainer when it is positioned over each bowl.

Notes

You can make the no-bake espresso cheesecake filling in advance, and store it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap.