This Chocolate Cheesecake is phenomenal! A rich, creamy and chocolatey cheesecake with an Oreo crust. This decadent cheesecake is for all you chocolate lovers out there!
♡ 12 DAYS OF SUGAR – DAY 12 ♡
It’s Day 12, the final day of this year’s 12 Days of Sugar. It’s a good thing too, because the sugar coma has happened andI’m ready for some veggies and ranch dip 😉. Today’s post is not what I had originally planned on posting, but it still is fabulous and you’re going to love it.
I wanted to do a cheesecake for one of the 12 days and finally decided on a chocolate peppermint cheesecake that looked and sounded amazing. Sadly, I ended up not loving it. The flavor was amazing, but the texture was off and it was almost too dense. These last few weeks have been a bit crazy and sad and I just didn’t have a chance or have it in me to revamp that recipe.
So I’m resharing a completely fabulous Chocolate Cheesecake I shared a couple years ago. If you never made it, then you need to. It’s a show stopper!
Original post . .
Next to a warm chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake is probably my favorite dessert. I love it and would never turn away a slice of it. Because I love cheesecake so much, I knew I couldn’t let this year’s 12 Days of Sugar go by without sharing a cheesecake recipe. So how about Chocolate Cheesecake ?
This Chocolate Cheesecake with an Oreo Crust is pretty phenomenal! Like I want to marry it and eat it every day kind of good. It’s rich, not too sweet, decadent and is the quintessential dessert for any occasion.
It’s a chocolate lover’s dream come true and as a major chocolate and cheesecake lover, it has very quickly become one of my favorite desserts. It’s a complete chocolate overload with a chocolate crust, creamy chocolate cheesecake center and a chocolate ganache topping. It’s basically a chocolate coma waiting to happen and I see nothing wrong with that.
If you think cheesecakes are hard to make, think again. This is super simple and should turn out perfectly every time. If you’re worried about it cracking on top, don’t! Baking it in a water bath is the secret here to creating a moist, perfectly baked cheesecake without cracking on top.
Do I Need to Use a Water Bath When I Bake This Cheesecake?
Yes, but don’t be afraid of the water bath, it’s simple to do and will make a world of difference. It’s the secret to your cheesecake baking evenly and help avoid cracks in your cheesecake. BUT if it does happen to crack don’t panic because the chocolate ganache will cover it up. I’ve explained what I do in the “tips section” below.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE:
- Use ROOM TEMPERATURE cream cheese. If your cream cheese is too cold, it will not mix smoothly and will tend to be lumpy. I usually set mine out on the counter for a couple hours before I make my cheesecakes.
- Use room temperature eggs also.
- Don’t overmix the batter: it’s important to mix the cream cheese enough to remove the lumps and to combine the ingredients well, but over-mixing the batter will introduce too much air into the mixture. Too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise too quickly while it’s baking and then fall, which results in cracks on top.
- Bake this cheesecake in a water bath: This is the secret to ensure your cheesecake is evenly baked and will also help to avoid cracks in the cheesecake. I used to wrap the bottom of my pan in foil, until I saw read about the “oven bag” method on another food blog. It works perfectly and keeps any water from getting into the pan. You use the same kind of oven bag you cook a turkey in. Once you place your cheesecake inside the bag, roll the bag down so it’s just barely below the top of your springform pan (you don’t want it to cover the top of the cheesecake). When your cheesecake is inside an oven bag, place the cheesecake inside a larger pan. (* I like to use a large disposable aluminum foil roasting size pans that I buy at the dollar store.) I place the foil pan on a large baking sheet before I even fill it with water, this makes moving the water bath easier). Carefully fill the larger pan with water, filling it until the water comes up a little more than halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool COMPLETELY at room temperature before putting it in the fridge to chill. I like to crack open my oven door and leave it in the oven for about 1 hour before taking it out and letting it continue cooling on the counter. A slow cooling process also helps prevent cracking.
- Spreading the ganache. Allow this cheesecake to cool at room temperature before spreading the ganache on top. Once it’s cool enough, spread your ganache topping on it and cover the pan with foil. It will need to chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight. OR, you can also top the cheesecake with the chocolate ganache the next day, after it’s completely chilled. Just make sure you do this in time so that it can go back in the fridge long enough for the ganache to set up/chill (about an hour).
Can You Freeze Cheesecake?
Yes you can. Cheesecake is a great dessert to make ahead and freeze. Place the cheesecake in your freezer with the sides of the springform pan removed. Freeze until completely frozen, about 3 hours. Once it’s frozen, wrap it in plastic wrap and then place it inside a large Ziploc freezer bag or wrap with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to six weeks. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
This is going to WOW anyone you serve this to over the holidays.
Here are a few other favorite cheesecake recipes of mine:
- White Chocolate Toffee Bar Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
Chocolate Cheesecake
- Total Time: 6+ hours chill time
- Yield: 12 to 15 servings 1x
Ingredients
Crust:
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos), finely crushed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling:
- 2 pkgs. (4 oz) semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 eggs, room temperature
Ganache Topping:
- 5 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl mix the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter together evenly. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of 9- inch springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Set aside while you make the cheesecake.
Cheesecake Filling:
- Melt the 8 ounces of chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed, until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the sour cream; mix well, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the melted chocolate and mix again.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until mixed. Don’t over mix. Pour the filling over crust and spread evenly.
- Place the springform pan inside an oven bag (the same kind you use to cook a turkey in). Roll the bag down so it doesn’t cover the top of the cheesecake.
- Place the pan inside a larger pan and carefully fill the larger pan with water, filling it until the water comes up a little more than halfway up the sides of the springform pan. **NOTE: I like to use a large disposable aluminum foil roasting size pan. I place the foil pan on top of a large baking sheet before I even fill it with water, this makes moving the water bath easier.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the center is almost set. The center will still jiggle while the edges will be set.
- Once your cheesecake is done, turn the oven off and crack open the oven door a little. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature inside the oven for about 60 minutes before removing.
Ganache:
- Melt the chocolate and heavy cream in small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan, and stir until smooth. Spread the ganache on top of the cooled cheesecake.
- Cover the springform pan and transfer the cheesecake into the refrigerator to chill for 6 hours or overnight.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: Desserts
Recipe Source: 5 Boys Baker
**Originally Posted December 7, 2019 and as Day 6 of 12 Days of Sugar
In the list of ingredients for the Filling, it says 2 (4 oz.) pkgs. of semi sweet chocolate, and in the instructions it says to melt the 10 ozs. of chocolate – is the correct amount 8 ozs. or 10 ozs. of chocolate? Thank you!!
Oops, thanks for catching that Janet. It is just 8 oz of chocolate. I fixed it in the instructions. Thanks again.