Chocolate Cheesecake

The ultimate rich and fudgy Chocolate Cheesecake has an Oreo cookie base, smooth chocolate interior, and a simple ganache topping.

We love cheesecake! Try some of our other cheesecake recipes next: Oreo Cheesecake, vanilla Cheesecake Bars, or these Mini Cheesecakes with a berry topping.

Chocolate Cheesecake

The few times I tested this Chocolate Cheesecake, it didn’t end well in terms of getting photographs…the boys were far too anxious to wait for a photoshoot.

So, to keep the boys from demolishing this Chocolate Cheesecake before I could snap a few photos of it, I laid the boys down for bed and then made it at night and hid it in the fridge. The next morning, I cut a few slices and while I went to grab my camera, the boys had already begun to dig in!

I’ve successfully created my own band of little chocolate lovers and I couldn’t be happier about it.

This triple chocolate cheesecake is ridiculously rich and a total dream for chocolate lovers. It’s rich, smooth, creamy, and deeply chocolate-y.

There are three components in this Chocolate Cheesecake: the crust, cheesecake filling, and chocolate ganache topping. I’ll break down each section below with my top tips for making this recipe.

Oreo® crust

• Thoroughly crush the Oreos. If there are big pieces of the cookies in the crust, it will still taste great, but the cheesecake won’t cut and serve as nicely. I recommend a blender or food processor for crushing the Oreos. If you don’t have one of those devices, you can add all the cookies to a large plastic bag, remove any air from the bag, and break them into crumbs with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
• Leave the creme filling. There’s no need to separate creme from cookie; the creme adds structure and sweetness to the crust.
• Measure the crumbs. While it’s easiest to just add a counted amount of Oreos to the blender, there can be a good amount of variation depending on the brand of cookies used. For a fool-proof crust, measure the crumbs instead of counting out cookies. Slightly overfill the measuring cups and then level off the top with the back of a table knife for the perfect measurement.
• Don’t add hot butter to the crushed cookies. Let the butter cool slightly before mixing the two together to avoid a greasy pie crust.
• Compress the crust. I like to lightly spritz the back of a flat one-cup measuring cup with cooking spray and then use it to press the crumbs tightly to form a nice, even crust.
• Bake the crust. To ensure the crust doesn’t get too soft, we bake it before adding the cheesecake filling. While the crust doesn’t need to be cooled completely, we do want it slightly cooled before adding the chocolate cheesecake filling.

Chocolate Cheesecake Filling Tips

• Use room-temperature cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese becomes creamier when it is mixed and it incorporates much better with the other ingredients in this recipe. If your cream cheese is too cold, it tends to stay lumpy and the batter doesn’t fully mix. You’ll also likely be tempted to over beat the batter (which is not good for a cheesecake!) to get rid of the lumps. See “quick tip” below.
• Use room-temperature eggs: The more even the temperature of the ingredients, the better they will incorporate and the less chance you have for getting cracks in the cheesecake.
• Don’t overmix the batter:  It’s important to mix the cream cheese enough to remove the lumps and to combine the ingredients sufficiently, but overmixing the batter will introduce too much air into the mixture. Too much air causes the cheesecake to rise too quickly in the oven and then fall (and cause cracks in cheesecake).
• Mix the cheesecake batter at low and consistent speeds: This reduces the risk of adding in too much air which will cause cracks on top. I recommend beating the cheesecake batter in the same direction for the duration of mixing.
• Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature: It might not seem like a big deal to speed up the chilling process of the cheesecake and put it in the fridge right out of the oven, but this will cause condensation to form on top or create cracks in the cheesecake.

Chocolate Cheesecake Baking Tips

• Use a springform pan: A springform pan (a pan that has a spring to hold the sides of the pan in place) is the best for cheesecakes. Because of the final texture of the cheesecake it can’t be inverted from a pan (like a typical cake) and so the removable sides of the springform pan make it easy to keep the form and shape of the cheesecake. (Still make sure to generously grease your springform pan first).
• Wrap the springform pan with foil: Since this chocolate cheesecake bakes in a water bath (I promise it’s easy!) you’ll want to cover the outside in foil (I line it twice in heavy duty foil) to ensure no water from the water bath seeps into the cheesecake.
• Bake the cheesecake in a water bath: A water bath may sound complicated, but it simply means we put the cheesecake into a larger baking pan that is filled with about an inch of water (similar to how we make creme brulee). Why use a water bath? The water helps to evenly disperse the heat which will help to ensure your cheesecake is evenly baked. You’ll also be able to avoid the cracks in the cheesecake.

Chocolate Cheesecake Ganache Topping

The ganache adds the perfect finishing flavor touch to the best Chocolate Cheesecake. It’s also nice to have if your cheesecake did develop cracks — cover them up with this ganache and no one is the wiser!

• Use high-quality milk chocolate for best results. You’ll get both a better melt and better flavor. My favorite for this Chocolate Cheesecake is Ghirardelli® or Guittard®.
• Decorate! If the ganache doesn’t go on glossy and perfect, don’t fret! Add a garnish like chocolate curls, whipped cream, or chocolate candies

More Chocolate Desserts

• Chocolate Covered Oreo Fudge with milk chocolate chips
• Chocolate Tart with a chocolate ganache topping
• Hot Chocolate Snack Mix with chocolate-covered marshmallows
• Chocolate Cake Recipe with triple chocolate frosting
• Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats with loads of marshmallows

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4.91 from 30 votes

Chocolate Cheesecake

By Chelsea Lords

This rich and fudgy Chocolate Cheesecake features an Oreo cookie base, a smooth chocolate filling, and a simple ganache topping.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 10 hours hours

Total Time: 11 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 14 slices

Equipment

• Springform pan 9-inch
• Aluminum foil
• Baking pan 10 x 10-inch or larger

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Crust

• ▢ 1-3/4 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

• ▢ 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese full-fat, room temperature
• ▢ 1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Ganache

• ▢ 1 cup chocolate chips
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Optional Topping

• ▢ 3/4 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 325℉. Wrap a well-greased, 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Secure foil around the pan.
• In a small bowl, combine Oreo cookie crumbs and sugar and then stir in butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the greased and prepared springform pan—don't go up the sides—just press into the bottom of the pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.
• Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a very large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese and sugar in a circular motion and with consistent medium-low speed until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat or beat too fast or your cheesecake will fall and crack after baking. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the melted and cooled chocolate into the cheesecake filling mixture. Add cocoa powder. Beat until just combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add them to the filling mixture along with salt and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until just combined. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of this mixture on top of the Oreo crust in the springform pan. Smooth the top of the cheesecake with the spatula. Place the springform pan in a large baking pan and add 1 inch of boiling water to the baking pan.
• Bake the cheesecake at 325℉ for 55–70 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is no longer shiny. The center should have a slight jiggle, as it will firm up as it cools. If it jiggles a lot, it needs more time—check again in 5 minutes. Once fully baked, turn off the oven and open the door completely. Carefully pull the oven tray with the cheesecake out and let it cool in the water bath for 45 minutes. Afterward, remove it from the water bath, carefully take off the foil, and let it sit at room temperature on a wire rack for 30 minutes. This gradual cooling helps prevent cracks. Finally, cover the cheesecake and transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
• Place chocolate for the ganache in a small bowl with the butter and heavy cream. Microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Let stand until it has cooled to room temperature before topping the cheesecake with the ganache. Spoon the ganache into the center of the cheesecake, keep it about an inch away from the edge, and smooth the ganache with the back of the spoon. Cover ganache-topped cheesecake and place in the fridge for an hour or until fully set.
• When ready to serve, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form and then spoon or pipe the whipped cream over the cheesecake slices.
• To get the perfect slices, you'll want to use a large, very sharp knife. Run the knife under very hot water, dry it off with a kitchen towel, and then make one quick and decisive cut. Repeat this process for each cut you make.

Video

Recipe Notes

Cheesecake Tips and Troubleshooting:

• Use room-temperature cream cheese. Room-temperature cream cheese becomes creamier when it is mixed, and it incorporates much better with the other ingredients in this recipe. If your cream cheese is too cold, it tends to stay lumpy, and the batter doesn’t fully mix. You’ll also likely be tempted to overbeat the batter to get rid of the lumps which is not good for the cheesecake. 
• Use room-temperature eggs. The more even the temperature of the ingredients, the better they will incorporate and the less chance you have of getting cracks in the cheesecake.
• Don't overmix the batter.  It’s important to mix the cream cheese enough to remove the lumps and to combine the ingredients sufficiently but overmixing the batter will introduce too much air into the mixture which causes the cheesecake to rise too quickly in the oven and then fall and create cracks in the cheesecake.
• Mix the cheesecake batter at low and consistent speeds. This reduces the risk of adding in too much air which will cause cracks on top. I recommend beating the cheesecake batter in the same direction for the duration of mixing.
• Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature. It might not seem like a big deal to speed up the chilling process of the cheesecake and put it in the fridge right out of the oven, but this will cause condensation to form on top and change the texture of your cheesecake.

Storage: Chocolate Cheesecake can stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but after that, it needs to be refrigerated. To store, place leftover cheesecake slices in an airtight container, or individually wrapped, in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap individual cheesecake slices tightly with plastic wrap and then place all the individually wrapped slices in an airtight container. Freeze for 2–3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and leave out at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 565IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 276mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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