Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In a food processor, process the pecans until they become finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients for the base and pulse until you reach a sandy texture. Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a standard size spring form pan. Bake for 8 minutes then remove it from the oven and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and eggs. Mix until well combined. Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Wrap it with plastic wrap and cool completely in the fridge before topping with the mousse layer.

For the mousse layer, melt the chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee and vanilla. Stir a few tablespoons of hot melted chocolate into the egg mixture to bring it up to temperature. Add the egg mixture into the saucepan and stir over low until you reach 160 F using a candy thermometer. Then remove the pan from the heat and place it in a bowl of ice water to cool, about 2-3 minutes.

Whip the cream until you reach soft peaks then gently fold it into the chocolate. Smooth the mousse over the cheesecake and refrigerate until set.