This is, without a doubt, the best chocolate cheesecake I have ever had. I make this recipe at least a couple times a year, and we always manage to eat the whole thing within a few days. This recipe is adapted from Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham. I haven't found any bad recipes in this book, and most of them are excellent.
This particular cheesecake is the sort of dessert that will really transform the way you view cheesecake. It has just the right balance of cream cheese and chocolate, and the addition of sour cream just puts it in another class altogether. I've successfully substituted various bits and pieces in the recipe -- it's very forgiving. The original crust recipe calls for "chocolate wafer cookies", which to this day I don't know what they are or where to find them.
Killer Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients - crust
6 to 8 ounces graham crackers
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions - crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Break the crackers up into chunks and then using a food processor, grind them into fine crumbs. Mix in the cocoa powder and sugar, and then while the food processor is running, stream in the melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into an even layer on the bottom of a greased 9" springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes and then take out of the oven to cool.
Ingredients - filling
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao dark chocolate chips)
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I use dutch process or Hershey's "Special Dark")
24 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or carefully in a microwave, stirring frequently. After the chocolate and butter is melted, stir in the cocoa powder. Beat the cream cheese and sugar using a mixer, until thoroughly mixed and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth each time. Now add the chocolate mixture and beat thoroughly - this will cause the batter to thicken. Finally beat in the sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract until mixed entirely.
Assembly
After the crust has cooled, wrap the bottom of the springform pan using aluminum foil, to seal it so that water cannot get it. You will need a deep roasting pan to put your cheesecake in for a water bath. After wrapping the pan, place it in the roasting pan and bring some water to a boil. You will need enough water to reach about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
Pour/scrape the batter into the springform pan, on top of the baked crust. You will need to smooth it out using a rubber scraper. Then put the springform pan in your roasting pan, put the roasting pan in the oven (still at 350 degrees), and pour in the boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan. This water bath will help the cheesecake cook slowly and evenly, so it doesn't crack or overcook.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until still somewhat jiggly in the center. The outside edges should be starting to get firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the water bath for 15 minutes longer, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for an hour or two. Then refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
Ingredients - crust
6 to 8 ounces graham crackers
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions - crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Break the crackers up into chunks and then using a food processor, grind them into fine crumbs. Mix in the cocoa powder and sugar, and then while the food processor is running, stream in the melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into an even layer on the bottom of a greased 9" springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes and then take out of the oven to cool.
Ingredients - filling
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao dark chocolate chips)
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I use dutch process or Hershey's "Special Dark")
24 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or carefully in a microwave, stirring frequently. After the chocolate and butter is melted, stir in the cocoa powder. Beat the cream cheese and sugar using a mixer, until thoroughly mixed and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth each time. Now add the chocolate mixture and beat thoroughly - this will cause the batter to thicken. Finally beat in the sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract until mixed entirely.
Assembly
After the crust has cooled, wrap the bottom of the springform pan using aluminum foil, to seal it so that water cannot get it. You will need a deep roasting pan to put your cheesecake in for a water bath. After wrapping the pan, place it in the roasting pan and bring some water to a boil. You will need enough water to reach about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
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| Foil-wrapped pan, ready to bake |
Pour/scrape the batter into the springform pan, on top of the baked crust. You will need to smooth it out using a rubber scraper. Then put the springform pan in your roasting pan, put the roasting pan in the oven (still at 350 degrees), and pour in the boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan. This water bath will help the cheesecake cook slowly and evenly, so it doesn't crack or overcook.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until still somewhat jiggly in the center. The outside edges should be starting to get firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the water bath for 15 minutes longer, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for an hour or two. Then refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
