No Bake Missisippi Mud Cheesecake

First off, I know this isn't a cast iron recipe, but since I'm adapting not one but two recipes into a single one, I thought I'd share it here.

I needed a dessert for a going away dinner for one of my boyfriend's students, and after looking at the store, I wasn't excited about anything. Then I saw cheesecake. A little bity cheesecake at that, but boring. So I did what I often do at the grocery store, and did an internet search for cheesecake. The recipe I fell in love with said it takes 10 hours to make, which I just didn't have. I looked for no bake recipes and found Mississippi Mud Pie No Bake Cheesecake over at A Dash of Sanity. I was dismayed that my store didn't have chocolate graham cracker crust, so I got plain and knew I'd figure it out. By figuring it out, I meant I'd find a recipe to convert or replace it, which I did. This is the original recipe by Nikki on Tikkido.

Now for the fun part....

Crust

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Filling - bottom layer

8 ounce low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
8 ounces Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 - 8oz container Sugar Free Cool Whip

Filling - top layer

8 ounce low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
8 ounces Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup marshmallow fluff

Icing & Toppings

1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
4 oz bag chopped pecans

Crust

Put all ingredients in a bowl, mix well, then press into a spring form pan. Refrigerate until needed.

Filling

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes and stir until smooth. Combine all ingredients for bottom layer, except the Cool Whip, in a large bowl and mix until combined. Fold in the Cool Whip. Put into pan on top of the crust. Repeat for second layer, reserving fluff until last. Microwave the fluff for about 30 seconds in a bowl at least twice the size of the fluff, to make it easier to work with, then fold it into the top layer mixture. Put it into the pan on top of the bottom layer of filling. Refrigerate.

If you're like me, now is a good time to stop and clean up, giving the cake time to firm up a little before you add the icing and toppings.

Icing

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl or large measuring cup until there are no lumps remaining. Microwave the fluff for 30-60 in a bowl big enough for it to expand. Pour a thin layer of the icing over the top layer of filling, using a spoon to spread it around. Top with chopped pecans, at the amount that makes you happy. Drizzle melted fluff over the pecans, then drizzle more of the icing over the top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

I had extra icing left over, which I'll use for something else later. Who knows, maybe I'll dip Oreos in it, orange slices, pour it over ice cream...

If you try this, I'd love to hear how it turned out for you!