Packed with the rich, velvety smooth flavor of chocolate in each bite, this decadent chocolate cheesecake will satisfy all your chocolate cravings.
As you may have already guessed, I absolutely love cheesecake! Over the years, I have made many varieties of this classic bake like vanilla, lemon and pumpkin; surprisingly though, I never ventured to make a chocolate cheesecake. Considering February is the unofficial month of chocolate, I figured now was a great time to celebrate chocolate in cheesecake form. Made with both melted chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder, there is no denying the chocolate flavor in this decadent chocolate cheesecake. Since egg whites are folded into the chocolate cheesecake batter, the finished bake has a light smooth texture that is impossible to resist.
My Essential Cheesecake Tips and Tricks
- Double Wrap – to avoid ending up with a soggy crust as cheesecake bakes in water bath, double wrap the baking pan up to the rim with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Room Temperature Ingredients – it is very important to use room temperature ingredients, especially when it comes to the cream cheese. Not only will the ingredients mix up easily, but you will avoid the chance of ending up with clumps of cream cheese in batter.
- Reduce Speed – on a mixer (stand or hand-held), reduce speed to low before mixing egg yolks into batter. I learned that at this point mixing too much air into batter will cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack as it bakes.
- Whipped Egg White – my secret to a light and airy cheesecake is gently folding in whipped egg whites into batter. The whipped egg whites aerated the batter resulting in the most melt in your mouth, mousse-like cheesecake!
- Water Bath – baking cheesecake in a water bath helps to ensure an even and consistent bake. It is best to first place baking pan with cheesecake batter into a larger baking pan before transferring to the lower third oven rack. Pour hot water into the larger pan just until the halfway point of pan with cheesecake batter is reached.
- Slow Bake – baking cheesecake at a low oven temperature over a long period of time will help to prevent the formation of cracks. My go-to temperature and bake time is 300F for 60-70 minutes. Bake cheesecake just until the rim of the cake appears firm but there is a slight jiggle in the center of cake.
- Rest – Once cheesecake is done baking, resist the urge to remove cake from oven. Instead, turn off oven and leave cheesecake inside with the door ajar. Allow to rest in oven for at 1 hour before cooling to room temperature outside the oven. The purpose behind this is to avoid a sudden change in temperature which may shock cheesecake and cause the dreaded surface cracks.
- Release – as cake cools, it will naturally pull away from the sides of pan, running a knife around the edge of cheesecake will help prevent cracks from forming.
- Refrigerate – allow cake to rest in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight before removing from pan and serving. Rest time in fridge will not only help cheesecake to firm up but allow the flavor of the cake to develop and be more prominent.
How to Make Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake
Chocolate Cookie Crust
Key Ingredients
- Chocolate Cookie Crumbs – may be bought or made by grinding/crushing chocolate cookies into fine crumbs. If using chocolate sandwich cookies, remove filling before grinding/crushing into fine crumbs.
- Melted Unsalted Butter
To Make Chocolate Cookie Crust
- Prepare – preheat oven to 325F. Double wrap an 8” or 9” springform pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease the inner base and sides of pan. Set aside.
- Mix – add chocolate cookie crumbs into a medium mixing bowl, pour in melted butter and mix until mixture resembles wet sand.
- Transfer – chocolate cookie crust mixture to prepared pan. With the back of a measuring cup, gently press crust mixture into an even layer at the base and about a 1/4 inch up the sides of pan.
- Bake – chocolate cookie crust for 15 minutes.
- Cool – allow crust to cool to room temperature while cheesecake batter is being prepared.
Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake Batter
Key Ingredients
- Cream Cheese – full fat is preferred over the reduced fat cream cheese as it provides a more rich flavor.
- Melted Chocolate – I used semi-sweet chocolate; however, some other great options includes dark and/or bittersweet chocolate.
- Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder – provides enhanced chocolate flavor. I used this brand.
- Yogurt – plain full-fat yogurt helps to lightened up the thickness of the cream cheese. Yogurt may be substituted with sour cream.
- Granulated and Brown Sugar – a combination of regular granulated sugar and brown sugar are used. I find the brown sugar greatly compliment the natural richness of the chocolate.
- Corn Starch – acts as a thickening agent that helps to bind and bring batter together.
- Eggs – in the absence of flour, eggs give structure to cheesecake; additionally, using whipped egg whites gives cheesecake a less dense and more mousse-like consistency.
- Vanilla Extract
To Make Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake Batter
- Beat – in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add and beat together the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch at medium speed (4 on stand mixer) for 5 minutes. Stop mixer and with a flexible spatula, scrapes the sides and base of bowl.
- Mix – add yogurt and vanilla extract into the cream cheese mixture and mix a low speed (2 on stand mixer) until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Next slowly pour in the melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to mix into batter (about 30 seconds).
- Add – with the mixer running at low speed, mix in the egg yolks one at time allowing each yolk to be incorporated into the chocolate cheesecake batter before adding the next one. Once all the egg yolks have been mixed into batter turn off mixer and give batter a good mix with a flexible spatula taking care to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
- Whisk – in a separate medium mixing bowl, add eggs whites. With a whisk or hand-held mixer, whisk egg whites at high speed until it reaches medium stiff peaks. If you were to hold the whisk/beaters upright, the peak should fold over and not be stiff.
- Fold – use a spatula to fold half of the whipped egg whites into chocolate cheesecake batter making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with the second half of whipped egg whites. Take care to lightly fold whipped egg whites into cheesecake batter to avoid deflating the air out of egg whites.
Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake – Bring It All Together
Set – oven temperature to 300F.
Pour – chocolate cheesecake batter over cooled chocolate cookie crust. Place springform pan with cheesecake batter into a larger baking pan. Transfer to oven before pouring hot water into larger pan. Hot water should be poured up to the midpoint of springform pan.
Bake – chocolate cheesecake for 60-75 minutes. Cheesecake is ready one the edges appears firm, slightly puffed and the center has a slight giggle.
Rest – turn off oven and allow cheesecake to rest in oven with the door ajar for at least 1 hour. After an hour, transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack, run a knife around the edges, and cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours (do not unmold chocolate cheesecake from pan).
Refrigerate – once cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, unmold from pan, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before decorating and serving.
Looking for More Cheesecake Recipes:
PrintDecadent Chocolate Cheesecake
Packed with the rich, velvety smooth flavor of chocolate in each bite, this decadent chocolate cheesecake will satisfy all your chocolate cravings.
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 75 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Crust
- 2 Cups Chocolate Cookies Crumbs
- 6 Tablespoons (3 Ounces) Melted Butter, Room Temperature
Chocolate Cheesecake Batter
- 24 Ounces Full-Fat Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 12 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Melted, Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup (6 Ounces) Plain Full Fat Yogurt, Room Temperature
- 4 Large Eggs, Separated, Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup Raw Cane/Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Hot Water (for water bath)
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Roughly Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream, Warmed
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 Ounces Full-Fat Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, Cold
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Ounce Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Roughly Chopped, Garnish (Optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Cookie Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F. Double wrap an 8” or 9” springform pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease the inner base and sides of pan. Set aside.
- Place chocolate cookie crumbs and melted butter into a medium mixing bowl and mix until mixture resembles wet sand.
- Transfer chocolate cookie crust mixture to prepared pan. With the back of a measuring cup, gently press crust mixture into an even layer along the base and about a 1/4 inch up the sides of pan.
- Bake chocolate cookie crust for 15 minutes.
- Allow crust to cool to room temperature while cheesecake batter is being prepared.
Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake Batter
- Reduce oven temperature to 300F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add and beat together the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch at medium speed (4 on stand mixer) for 5 minutes. Stop mixer and with a flexible spatula, scrapes the sides and base of bowl.
- Add the yogurt and vanilla extract into the cream cheese mixture and mix a low speed (2 on stand mixer) until incorporated (about 30 seconds).
- Next slowly pour and mix in the melted chocolate into batter (about 30 seconds).
- With the mixer running at low speed, mix in the egg yolks one at time allowing each yolk to be incorporated into chocolate cheesecake batter before adding the next one.
- Once all the egg yolks have been mixed into batter turn off mixer and give batter a good mix with a flexible spatula taking care to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl add eggs whites. With a whisk or hand-held mixer, whisk egg whites at high speed until it reaches medium stiff peaks. If you were to hold the whisk/beaters upright, the peak should fold over and not be stiff.
- Use a spatula to fold half of the whipped egg whites into chocolate cheesecake batter making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with the second half of whipped egg whites. Take care to lightly fold whipped egg whites into cheesecake batter to avoid deflating the air out of egg whites.
- Pour chocolate cheesecake batter over cooled chocolate cookie crust.
- Place springform pan with cheesecake batter into a larger baking pan and transfer to oven before pouring hot water into the larger pan. Hot water should be poured up to the midpoint of springform pan.
- Bake chocolate cheesecake for 60-75 minutes. Cheesecake is ready when the edges appears firm and slightly puffed. The center of cheesecake should have a slight giggle.
- Turn off oven and allow cheesecake to rest in oven with the door ajar for at least 1 hour. After an hour, transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack, run a knife around the edges, and cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours (do not unmold chocolate cheesecake from pan).
- Once cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, carefully remove from pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before decorating and serving.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place finely chopped chocolate into a small mixing bowl.
- Heat up heavy cream to hot but not boiling either on stovetop or in the microwave (about 30 seconds).
- Pour hot heavy cream over chocolate, allow mixture to sit for (1) minute and then gently whisk to combine starting in the center and moving outward.
- Ganache is ready when it has a smooth, shiny appearance with no trace of unmixed heavy cream or chucks of chocolate.
Whipped Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place a medium-sized mixing bowl in the freezer. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the room temperature cream cheese, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Retrieve mixing bowl from freezer, pour in cold heavy cream and beat with a hand-held mixer at high speed just until cream starts to thicken.
- Spoon cream cheese mixture into the heavy cream and continue to beat until stiff peaks forms.
Assembly
- Pour cooled ganache into the center of chocolate cheesecake.
- Working quickly, use an offset spatula to spread ganache into an even layer over the top of chocolate cheesecake before it sets.
- Spoon whipped chocolate cream cheese frosting to a pastry bag fitted with desired pastry tip. I used a Wilton 6B tip.
- Pipe desired design along the border of chocolate cheesecake.
- Generously sprinkle finely chopped chocolate over piped whipped chocolate cream cheese frosting, (optional).
Notes
- When ready to make decadent chocolate cheesecake batter, try to use all room temperature ingredients as this will ensure that the batter mixes up easily without any clumps.
- Take care to gently fold whipped egg whites into cheesecake batter to avoid deflating the air out of whipped egg whites. This is a key step to ensure a light textured cheesecake.
- Chocolate cookie crumbs may be store bought. If making from scratch, remove filling before grinding/crushing into crumbs.
- Prior to baking, hot water should be poured just up to the midpoint of springform pan. Try not to pour water above the lining of aluminum foil as this may cause leaking of water into springform pan resulting in a soggy crust.
- Decadent chocolate cheesecake will keep for (1) week in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap. Alternatively, cheesecake may be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in freezer for up to (1) month.
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