OK, if you are worried about cholesterol levels, weight issues or sugar move right along because this is one beast of a dessert. I could literally feel my arteries closing up as I made it. That said – if you are still here, as you will see, it is fairly well the most incredible looking chocolate cheesecake around – and just the thing to bring out at the end of an Easter feast – small slices to savour. The funny thing is, it is not particularly sweet, but rich? Rich? It is the Beyonce/Jay Z of cheesecakes! As I am making this before Easter to give you plenty of time to get the ingredients in to make it, I am going to serve it first for dessert in a couple of days when Henry comes home from university for the first semester break – and even though I picture him starving in a garret, despite the fact that the flat is quite a lot like a garret – he is looking after himself in fine fashion, not starving and has actually been cooking up a storm. We are off to Waiheke for Easter (yaaaaay!!!!!!!) so I will be out of action for at least a week – but keep checking in, as I’ll be back with the clean-eating antidote to chocolate over-indulgence before May! Have a wonderful, safe and happy Easter 🙂
350g digestive biscuits or Graham crackers
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
100g butter, melted
250g dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup Baileys or other liqueur (or strong coffee)
750g cream cheese
250g sour cream
1 cup caster sugar
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
Line
the base of a 23cm
removable base cake tin with baking paper, and lightly grease or spray
the sides with neutral oil such as Rice Bran. Whiz the biscuits, cocoa
and
melted butter together in a food processor until they resemble fine
breadcrumbs then pour into the tin and squash down first with your
fingers, then smooth out with the back of a tablespoon, taking the
crumbs all the way up the sides to give the cheesecake a bit of extra
support, but keeping it not too thick on the base. You will need a straight sided glass to squish the crumbs up the sides, and of course you can roll the tin on its side to do this. You are probably hating me right now while you do this – but breathe, have a glass of water, and keep going – it will work (and it doesn’t need to be perfect). Preheat the oven to
150ËšC (325ËšF) and pop the base in the fridge while you make the
filling.
Melt
the chocolate
either in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently boiling water
(don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water) or in bursts in the
microwave. Add liqueur and whisk until smooth – if it gets too solid when you add the liquid, warm it briefly and whisk again. Whiz the cream cheese,
sour cream, melted chocolate mixture, sugar and cocoa together in a food processor (just give the
food processor bowl a
quick rinse after making the base) until smooth. Add the eggs
and extra yolks and pulse to combine. See what I mean about arteries clogging during making??! Pour the filling on
top of the base.
the base of a 23cm
removable base cake tin with baking paper, and lightly grease or spray
the sides with neutral oil such as Rice Bran. Whiz the biscuits, cocoa
and
melted butter together in a food processor until they resemble fine
breadcrumbs then pour into the tin and squash down first with your
fingers, then smooth out with the back of a tablespoon, taking the
crumbs all the way up the sides to give the cheesecake a bit of extra
support, but keeping it not too thick on the base. You will need a straight sided glass to squish the crumbs up the sides, and of course you can roll the tin on its side to do this. You are probably hating me right now while you do this – but breathe, have a glass of water, and keep going – it will work (and it doesn’t need to be perfect). Preheat the oven to
150ËšC (325ËšF) and pop the base in the fridge while you make the
filling.
Melt
the chocolate
either in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently boiling water
(don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water) or in bursts in the
microwave. Add liqueur and whisk until smooth – if it gets too solid when you add the liquid, warm it briefly and whisk again. Whiz the cream cheese,
sour cream, melted chocolate mixture, sugar and cocoa together in a food processor (just give the
food processor bowl a
quick rinse after making the base) until smooth. Add the eggs
and extra yolks and pulse to combine. See what I mean about arteries clogging during making??! Pour the filling on
top of the base.
Cook
for 1 hour and 20
minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool in the oven with the
door open just a crack – wedge something small in the door so its stays
just a tiny bit open. Once cool keep in the
fridge, and just remember to remove it half an hour before serving.
Serve with a bowl of fresh berries on the side.
for 1 hour and 20
minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool in the oven with the
door open just a crack – wedge something small in the door so its stays
just a tiny bit open. Once cool keep in the
fridge, and just remember to remove it half an hour before serving.
Serve with a bowl of fresh berries on the side.
Lovely looking recipe for a favorite of mine. Doubt I will be able to make it for Easter, but it will be lovely to try another time. Great pics by the way! Christina in the Rocky Mountain West of the USA
Hi Christina – thanks so much, and if you do have the chance to try it some time, do let me know how you like it! 🙂
yum! I can just imagine creamy dark chocolate the texture of cheese cake. <3
It is soooo rich! 🙂
Just wanted to say I love your blog! The pictures always look well thought out with lovely props. I just started blogging this past week and taking great pictures of food is harder than it looks! Your recipes look divine!
Ashley from StellarAsh.com
Hi Ashley – thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment – just checked out your blog and it looks great 🙂 It took me ages to be happy with my pics – keep it up!
I love the way this recipe has been written, can't wait to try this cheesecake out!
Anne Marie x
Thanks so much Anne Marie – the Hazelnut Concorde Cake at The Food Dept looks incredible – we'll have to try each others! Have a wonderful Easter 🙂 x
Superb recipe! I'm trying it today but what about the glazing? Does the crust even itself while cooking or did you combine gelatine, cocoa and caramel? Thanks for sharing.
Hi! You don't need to do anything special for the top, it forms like that while it's cooking, so no extra glazing. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Thanks for the tip. It's cooking right now and I'll patiently wait for a crust. The smell is intoxicating!
No problem, Happy Easter! 🙂
Silly question—wanted to make sure about the dark chocolate. Is is unsweetened, bittersweet or something else/ Judging from the amount of sugar used, it is bittersweet or something with 60% cacao or more in it.
Hi Tammy – not a silly question at all! I generally use 50% – 70% cacao chocolate for recipes like this 🙂
Thankyou so much for this recipe! I found the link on Pinterest and am making it tonight for the second time for my moms birthday (again). I used unsweetened chocolate and rescued the sugar very slightly since my mom doesn't really 'do' sweets. Topped it with fresh blueberries last time and it was absolutely decadent, a major hit…all the way up here in Yukon, Canada 🙂
Hey there in Yukon Canada from down here in Auckland New Zealand! Thanks so much for your lovely noted, and I'm thrilled that you're enjoying the recipe 🙂
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for this great recipe! This is the best cheesecake recipe that all chocoholics (and not only) will love!!! I found this recipe from Pinterest too and the beautiful picture motivated me to try it. Since then I have made it countless times and each one of the was a big success!
I’m so glad you have been enjoying it – and thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂