Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake
I have been borderline obsessed with cheesecake for a very long time. I was in high school when I started requesting a cheesecake when my mom would ask what kind of birthday cake I’d like. I could always take or leave regular cake, but I swooned over cheesecake. My love for it has only grown since then, and I’ve enjoyed sampling and baking a wide variety of cheesecake recipes over the years. For as many as I’ve made (hello New York cheesecake, red velvet cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, Oreo cheesecake, and MANY others), I had yet to find a fabulous, go-to chocolate cheesecake recipe. I was surprised at how many of my staple baking cookbooks didn’t have a recipe for one. I finally came across one, and if you love chocolate, you are going to looooove this!
This is the first cheesecake I’ve ever made that is mixed completely in a food processor; it was nice and quick, but if you don’t have one, you could absolutely use an electric mixer instead.
It probably goes without saying, but this baby is rich. Like, whoa rich. If you’re sensitive to dark chocolate or rather rich desserts, I would recommend substituting semisweet chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate, and possibly skip the ganache topping to tame it down a bit.
I chose to eat a small sliver of this topped with whipped cream, but you could also use this as a base for all sorts of toppings and add-ins. I used a similar version to make the black forest cheesecake last year, and I think the possibilities of a fantastic chocolate cheesecake base are absolutely endless.
If you’re a fellow cheesecake fanatic, you absolutely need a chocolate cheesecake in your arsenal, and I can’t think of a better version!
One year ago: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Crumb Bars
Two years ago: Maple-Walnut Ice Cream
Three years ago: Noodle Kugel
Four years ago: Russian Pound Cake
Six years ago: Homemade Pierogi
Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 24 Oreo cookies
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 32 ounces (907.19 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups (250 g) + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (21.5 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
For the Topping:
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Blend the cookies and sugar together in a food processor until the cookies are finely ground. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack while preparing the filling.
- Make the Filling: Blend the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder in the food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, blending for 10 seconds each. Add the melted chocolate and blend to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
- Bake the cheesecake until the center is just set and the top looks dry, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around the sides of the pan. Place the cake in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Make the Topping: Stir the cream, chocolate and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until slightly warm and pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within ½-inch of the edge. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Run a thin knife around the sides of the pan and remove the pan sides. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature before serving. The cheesecake can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; cover with foil and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
looks good
This is hands down delicious. My favorite go to. I often add cherry pie filling or raspberries to the top.
This was over cooked at 44 minutes. Next time I would definitely reduce the temp to 325 and put a pan of water on the lower rack. (I’m not a believer in the water bath/spring form pan combo. Too risky)
This came out perfect and was delicious! Would 100% make again! 😋😋😋
Hi! I am thinking of doing an oreo version of this by adding 12 quartered to the filling and then doing a chocolate oreo whipped cream on the top. Thoughts?
That sounds absolutely unbelievable!
This is the first cheesecake I’ve made that came out terrible :( I used the exact ingredients/measurements and followed the directions and it’s dry and hard on top and super dense and the crust is hard as a rock.
I made this for my son and daughter in laws 5th anniversary dinner. It truly was Devine! My daughter in law is a fruit lover so I added rasberries on top and a rasberry sauce, but it would have been just as good without. It was very easy to assemble, it baked perfectly. I baked it the night before so it could be refrigerated over night, and took it out at least two hours prior to the event. Definitely a keeper, I love all of your recipes!;)