S'mores Cheesecake with Broiler-Charred Marshmallow

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A campfire dessert rebuilt as a proper cheesecake: a thick buttered graham crust, a dense bittersweet chocolate filling baked low and slow in a water bath, and a crown of homemade marshmallow meringue blistered under the broiler until it smells like a fire pit. It takes two days of patience but almost no fussy technique — the water bath does the work, and the broiler does the showing off.

Ingredients

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 full sheets)
• 3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped
• 32 oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (four 8-oz blocks)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, for shaving
• 2 tbsp crushed graham crackers

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Wrap the outside bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil, pressing tightly so no water can seep in. Lightly butter the inside.
2. Make the crust: stir together graham crumbs, brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt, then pour in the melted butter and mix until it looks like wet sand. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to compact it. Bake 10 minutes, then cool on a rack. Reduce the oven to 300°F.
3. Melt the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water (or in the microwave in 20-second bursts), stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool to just-warm, about 10 minutes — it should feel neutral on your wrist, not hot.
4. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. In a stand mixer with the paddle (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on medium-low for 2 minutes until completely smooth, scraping the bowl and paddle twice. Add the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and 1/2 tsp salt and beat 2 minutes more. Keep the speed low throughout — beating air in is what cracks cheesecakes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing only until each disappears, about 20 seconds each. Scrape down, then add the sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla and mix 30 seconds. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix on low just until the batter is one even brown color, about 30 seconds. Finish with a few folds by hand with a spatula.
6. Pour the batter over the cooled crust and smooth the top. Rap the pan on the counter 5 or 6 times to release big bubbles. Set the foil-wrapped pan inside a large roasting pan and pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes 1 inch up the sides.
7. Bake at 300°F for 70 to 80 minutes, until the outer 2 inches are set and the center 3 inches still jiggle as one soft mass when you nudge the pan; an instant-read thermometer inserted 1 inch from the edge should read about 150°F. Turn the oven off, prop the door open a few inches, and let the cheesecake sit in the cooling oven for 1 hour.
8. Lift the pan out of the water bath, remove the foil, and cool on a rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight — an underchilled cheesecake will not survive the broiler.
9. When ready to serve, run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, release the springform ring, and slide the cheesecake (on its base) onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Make the marshmallow topping: combine egg whites, 1 cup sugar, cream of tartar, and 1/8 tsp salt in a clean metal or glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture reaches 160°F.
10. Move the bowl to a mixer and whip on high for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meringue is glossy white, holds stiff peaks, and the bowl is no longer warm. Beat in the vanilla for 15 seconds.
11. Pile the marshmallow onto the chilled cheesecake and spread to the edges, then pull it up into swirls and peaks with the back of a spoon — the tips are what char. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up before torching.
12. Set an oven rack so the top of the marshmallow will sit 5 to 6 inches below the broiler element and heat the broiler on high for 5 minutes. Broil the cheesecake 60 to 90 seconds, rotating the sheet halfway through and watching without ever walking away, until the peaks are deep bronze with a few blackened tips. (A kitchen torch works too: sweep the flame 3 inches away in short passes.) Pull it out the moment it looks like a campfire marshmallow.
13. Chill 15 minutes to re-set, then shave bittersweet chocolate over the top and scatter crushed graham crackers. Slice with a long thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between every cut.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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