Vicki, I think you could get a way with using coffee cream which is 18% or even half and half , but you might have to adjust the ratio of cream to chocolate. Add a little more chocolate or use a little less cream. Ann

This is a tried and true recipe. One I have been making for over 25 years. Boston Cream Pies are best made the day before or early in the day so that the cream filling has a chance to meld with the cake. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Boston Cream Pie ================ 1/3 Cup butter 1 Cup sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 Cup sifted all-purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoous baking powder 1/4 Teaspoon salt 2/3 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla . Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffly. Add the egg and beat until creamy. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add alternately with the combined milk and vanilla. Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch round layer cake pan. Bake in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool completely; Place the cake on a serving plate and split horizontally into two layers with a serrated knife. Carefully remove the top layer. Fill with the chilled Cream Filling. Replace the top half and pour the warm Chocolate Icing over the top, spreading only to the edges. Chill. (When allowed to stand for several hours, the filling seeps into the cake, making the cake and filling seem almost as one.) Cream Filling 1/2 cup sugar 3 egg yolks 3 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups milk Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring for 1 minute. Beat the egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir in about half the thickened sauce. Return to the heat and cook. stirring 2 or 3 minutes longer to take away the flour taste. Remove from the heat and blend in the butter. Strain into a bowl. Cool for a few minutes, then blend in the vanilla. Cover and cool, then chill. Chocolate Icing 2 squares of chocolate 1 cup sifted icing sugar 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoons hot water 1 teaspoon vanilla Melt the chocolate and butter the microwave on medium low power. Stir until smooth, and blend in the icing sugar and hot water. Stir until smooth and slightly thickened (do not beat). Stir in the vanilla. Use immediately. Here is a link that might be useful: Thibeault's Table The Recipe Collection

Here is my favorite recipe: Chocolate Ice Cream Makes about 1 quart 2 cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate 1 cup whole milk 3/4 cup granulated sugar 5 large egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl. 2. Warm the milk and sugar in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. 3. Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath. 4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.) I usually make it with 1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds or hazelnuts and then use 1 tbsp of Amaretto or Frangelico (depending on the nut) instead of the vanilla. I add the nuts close to the end of the freezing cycle. I would call this a "double chocolate" ice cream, as the chocolate is very intense. You may not want nuts for a three year old, but consider it when making it for adults. I've made this recipe many times, and it is definitely my favorite. Sometimes I substitute three whole eggs for the five egg yolks, and that works also. Lars

Magilla, I echo your concerns. I've been thinking about this since you posted and was waiting to see if someone had a better idea, because I don't make enough cheesecakes to know for sure. There are some recipes that call for cream. Perhaps you could use or adapt one of them? I'm thinking, however, that it might work better to swirl in the ganache, like a ribbon of sauce in fudge ripple ice cream, rather than mixing it it with the batter. Just don't stir too much! Or maybe do a layer a batter, a layer of ganache, toothpick drawn through to make marbling, then another couple of layers, for a total of 3-4 layers. Then there would be chocolate all through, but restrained. Perhaps the better thing to do would be to make a chocolate chip cheesecake, and use the ganache to top it?