Chocolate cheesecake is what started me on this food journey all those years ago. For as long as I can remember, I made a chocolate cheesecake for our family’s holiday gatherings. It was one of the earliest recipes that I knew by heart and loved to make. Chocolate cheesecake is deeply rich and decadent. It is not something you can eat huge pieces of, though I absolutely used to try!
Cheesecake and I have had a long history. One of my first jobs in college was at a restaurant where they soon discovered I could bake and had me transform their meager dessert menu of one rather boring Italian cake to one with at least 4 different desserts each week. I designed the menu to have variation, but there was always a cheesecake. Sometimes the cheesecake wouldn’t sell, and I would bring back the leftovers to my college buddies. We would engorge ourselves with all things cheesecake. At the time, cheesecake was a fad, and every restaurant had its specialty. I made many different flavors, including peanut butter, praline, and grasshopper. However, the one I would always come back to was the good old standard for me of chocolate. Chocolate cheesecake is plain in its own way and not adorned with crazy ideas like candy bars or Oreo cookies. The flavor stands on its own. But, chocolate cheesecake would outsell the other cheesecakes every time.
Many recipes call for baking a cheesecake in a water bath. But the original recipe for this chocolate cheesecake has never called for one. And it bakes up perfectly every time. As long as you let the cheesecake cool in the oven slowly as in the directions, you will have a beautiful cheesecake. I prop the oven open just a crack with a wooden spoon and let the cheesecake slowly cool. One of the other tips I have learned in making cheesecake is to not overbeat the batter. Adding too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise up too high and fall, causing cracks. This is a dense cheesecake, not a light and fluffy one. My chocolate cheesecake has some espresso or strong coffee added to it to really bring out the chocolate. You don’t taste the coffee. But it enhances this cheesecake and should not be omitted.
The recipe calls for a 9″ springform pan, and for making cheesecake, it is essential. You can find one in most cooking stores or here on Amazon. (I get a small commission if you use any link on this page at no cost to you, please consider helping fund this blog.) The choice of chocolate also makes a difference. Choose one you like the taste of. You can use chocolate chips in a pinch, but you want to have good-tasting chocolate to really make this cheesecake memorable. The chocolate wafers for the crust are called Famous Chocolate wafers by Nabisco. I have been able to find them at almost any grocery store or here on Amazon. The wafers make a unique crust that is fantastically dark and chocolaty.
This is one of my most treasured recipes that I have wanted to share. It is very dense and intensely chocolate in all the right ways. Things are looking hopeful out there. There is a light somewhere out there! But we still have some work to do to get the world back to normal. So please think of others in your choices of what you do. We need to do this together. Have a great week.
- 9 oz. dark chocolate wafers about 2 cups crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter melted, ¼ cup
- 1/2 cup strong coffee or a double shot of espresso and enough water to make ½ cup
- 2 cups 12 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate or semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 3 8- oz packages cream cheese room temperature, 1/1/2 cups
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Lightly grease a 9" springform pan.
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To make the crust
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Crush, grind, or otherwise pulverize the chocolate wafers. This is a great way to use your food processor. But you can use a rolling pin, too.
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Add the melted butter and process briefly, or if doing this by hand, toss the crumbs with the butter until the mixture is evenly crumbly.
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Press the moist crumbs into the bottom and partway up the sides of the prepared pan. The cheesecake batter will go above the pressed sides, so make the top edge even around the pan to make it beautiful. Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips of butter.
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Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Then, remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool as you make the filling.
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Reduce the oven heat to 350°F.
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To make the filling:
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Combine the coffee or espresso and chocolate chips in a small saucepan, microwave-safe bowl, or large cup. Heat frequently at 30 second intervals, in the microwave or stove top depending on the container and stirring, until the chips melt and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set the mixture aside to cool.
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In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar at low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat briefly, just until smooth. You can do this by hand with a whisk if the cream cheese is very soft.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each one.
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Stir in the vanilla, then the flour.
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Add the chocolate/espresso mixture, beating slowly until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl; beat briefly, just until smooth.
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Pour the batter over the cooled cookie crumb crust in the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet, making it easier to get the cake in and out of the oven safely.
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Bake the cake (remember, the oven temperature should be 350°F) for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake 1" from the outside edge comes out clean. A digital thermometer, inserted at the same point, should read 175°F. The center may not look set; that's OK. You want this to be slightly underdone as it will continue to cook as it cools.
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Turn off the oven, crack the door open several inches, and allow the cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. You can also prop your oven door open just a crack with a wooden spoon.
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Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a rack to finish cooling.
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When it's completely cool, cover the cake, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
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Serve this rich cheesecake in small slices, with whipped cream and berries if desired.
This cheesecake is best at room temperature. It will soften and the flavor will bloom.
