| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 14 hr |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 12 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | One 9-inch cheesecake |
Ingredients
- Cooking spray, for greasing
- One 9-ounce package chocolate wafer cookies
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest or 1/2 tablespoon prepared coffee or 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon prepared coffee
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch-diameter springform pan with cooking spray.
- For the crust: In a food processor, grind the cookies until finely ground. Blend in the sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and process until well blended; it should be the consistency of wet sand. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. (Or just place the cookie crumb-sugar mixture in the pan, pour the melted butter in and combine.) Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake just until set, about 7 minutes. Allow it to cool while preparing the filling.
- For the filling: Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute until the chocolate is completely melted. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and cocoa powder together, smoothing out any lumps of cocoa powder. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, and then add the sugar-cocoa powder mixture. Add the orange zest, prepared coffee or espresso powder at this time, if using. Beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom with a rubber scraper when necessary. Blend in the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the lukewarm chocolate and stir until combined.
- Pour the filling over the cooled crust, tap the pan on the table top to remove any air pockets, and then smooth the top to even out. Bake until the center is just set (jiggles like set gelatin) and looks just dry, about 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating halfway. Cool 5 minutes. Run a knife around sides of the cake to loosen, but do not remove from the springform pan. Chill the cake in the refrigerator overnight.
- For the glaze: Stir the heavy cream, chopped chocolate, honey and prepared coffee in a heavy, medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2-inch of the cheesecake’s edge and filling any cracks. Chill until topping is set, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the cheesecake to a platter and release from the springform pan. Serve cold, or allow to come to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Reviews
Simply amazing. Caution it is a chocolate bomb. Shared it with several people and everyone thought it was incredible.I would recommend using a 10 inch springform pan. Made my own chocolate wafer cookies, think it made a huge difference.
I made this desert because it sounded really good. I had no idea how good it would be! It was out of this world! Can’t wait to make it again!
This cheesecake is awesome! My family loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
It taste bad, very different consistency then cheesecake should be. Was a waste of my time and ingredients!
I have made cheesecakes for years and this recipe has now become the family favorite. So decadent!
Absolutely Amazing!!! So many compliments! Everyone loved how smooth and chocolatey it was! It is very rich, so you could definitely offer smaller pieces with no issue! I took it out of the oven about 5 min early, and it was perfectly set! Adding to my favorites!
What a disaster. Just don’t cook it! It’s awful.
Delicious cheesecake for chocolate lovers. I cooked the cheesecake in a water bath and then turned off the oven and left in there with door cracked for on hour and no cracking.
Make repeatedly as written.I enjoy the textures of cheesecake.Make exactly as written and ADD crumbled Zwiebeck (children’s teething biscuits).Flavor remains but crunchy texture increases.Regardless…cheesecake and/or chocolate lovers…this recipe is delicious!Annie, Fremont, CA
A friend made this for me for my birthday, and it is one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had. It is wonderfully rich, as others have mentioned, with a perfect deep chocolate flavor. The barely salted cookie crust and the honey-infused glaze give the cheesecake a complexity that takes it over the top. A-mazing.