Chocolate Cheesecake
Course: DessertDifficulty: MediumServings
12-16
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
1
hour30
minutesTotal time
7
hoursThis cheesecake will make you think you’ve died and gone to heaven! While I usually prefer plain cheesecake, this one has quickly become a favorite. It has a rich milk chocolate flavor, rather than a dark chocolate taste. The chocolate ganache on top seals the deal. It’s crazy good! I recommend making it the day before you plan to serve it, so it has time to chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Ingredients
- Crust
10.5 ounces GF Oreos (22 cookies)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
- Cheesecake
3 (8 ounce) blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups sugar
8 ounces Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
- Ganache:
3/4 cup Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325º. Line the outside of a 9.5 inch spring form pan with 2 layers of heavy tin foil.
- Crush the Oreo’s in a food processor, and pour into the spring form pan. Pour the butter in with the oreo crumbs and mix until it’s combined well. Press the crumbs down into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
- In a large stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until creamy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- In a small bowl mix the cocoa and sugar until combined. Add cocoa sugar mixture to the cream cheese and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave at 50% for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chocolate chips are completely melted. Add to mixer and mix until combined.
- Add one egg to the cream cheese mixture and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue adding the remaining eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Add the sour cream and heavy cream and beat until combined. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the Oreo crust.
- Prepare the water bath for the cheesecake. If your oven has a steam rack with a water reservoir, you can use that and add 1 1/2 cups of water to the water reservoir. If not, place the spring form pan inside a larger pan and fill with 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches of water. Make sure your tinfoil protects the cheesecake so water doesn’t leak into it.
- Place into the oven and bake for 75 – 80 minutes. To make sure the cheesecake is done, give it a wiggle. If it slightly jiggles in JUST the middle like jello, then it’s done. If it jiggles all over, it needs to bake longer. When it’s done, turn off he heat and crack the oven door slightly. Let it cool in the oven.
- When cheesecake is cool, make the ganache by placing the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat one more time and stir until the ganache comes together.
- Pour the ganache on top of the cooled cheesecake. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator until it’s chilled. Slice and serve! Store in the refrigerator.
