Award Winning Neapolitan Cheesecake

 National Cheesecake Day is here and today's cheesecake recipe is as eye-catching as it is tasty!  A big prize winner from Taste of Home, it quickly won over the "judges" in our family as well!    Creamy and rich, I loved the chocolate/vanilla/strawberry flavor combination captured in a cheesecake.   My layers didn't turn out as delineated as shown in the magazine, but as skiwampus as they were, it still had the oohing and ah-ing effect I'd hoped for.    Enjoy! 

Source:   Taste of Home

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:
CRUST

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs (I used crushed Oreos)
3 Tbs. butter, melted

FILLING:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1/3 cup white baking chocolate chips, melted with 1 tsp. shortening
1/3 cup mashed frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, well-drained
Red liquid food coloring, optional

TOPPING:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. butter
2 tsp.  shortening, divided

Directions
In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and reduce oven to 325°.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar and cream. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on low just until combined. Divide batter into thirds. Add melted semisweet chocolate to a third. Spread over crust. Add melted white chocolate to another third. Spread over semisweet layer. Stir strawberries and a few drops of food coloring if desired into remaining portion. Spread over white chocolate layer. Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.



Place springform pan in a large baking pan (I used a large pizza pan, but you could also use a cookie sheet). Fill larger pan with hot water to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until center is just set. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove foil. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool for 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

For topping, melt semisweet chocolate, butter and 1 teaspoon shortening in a heavy saucepan or microwave; stir until smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Pour melted chocolate mixture over cheesecake.  Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Refrigerate leftovers.  Makes 12-14 servings.  Enjoy! 



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