Chocolate Cookie Crust

1. 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.
2. Place chocolate cookie crumbs and melted butter into a medium mixing bowl and mix until mixture resembles wet sand.
3. 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.
4. Bake chocolate cookie crust for 15 minutes.
5. Allow crust to cool to room temperature while cheesecake batter is being prepared.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake Batter

1. Reduce oven temperature to 300F.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. Next slowly pour and mix in the melted chocolate into batter (about 30 seconds).
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Pour chocolate cheesecake batter over cooled chocolate cookie crust.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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).
13. 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

1. Place finely chopped chocolate into a small mixing bowl.
2. Heat up heavy cream to hot but not boiling either on stovetop or in the microwave (about 30 seconds).
3. 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.
4. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Spoon cream cheese mixture into the heavy cream and continue to beat until stiff peaks forms.

Assembly

1. Pour cooled ganache into the center of chocolate cheesecake.
2. Working quickly, use an offset spatula to spread ganache into an even layer over the top of chocolate cheesecake before it sets.
3. Spoon whipped chocolate cream cheese frosting to a pastry bag fitted with desired pastry tip. I used a Wilton 6B tip.
4. Pipe desired design along the border of chocolate cheesecake.
5. Generously sprinkle finely chopped chocolate over piped whipped chocolate cream cheese frosting, (optional).