| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 13 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 12 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped small
- 2 1/2 cups cream cheese
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon custard powder
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon cocoa, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon dark corn syrup
- Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- To make the base, process the graham crackers to make rough crumbs and then add the butter and cocoa. Process again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs and then tip them into the pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filling.
- Put a kettle on to boil.
- Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add the sugar and custard power, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs and then the yolks, and the sour cream. Finally add the cocoa dissolved in hot water and melted chocolate and mix to a smooth batter.
- Take the springform tin out of the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a good layer of cling wrap, and then another layer of strong foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.
- Sit the springform tin in a roasting pan and pour in the cheesecake filling. Fill the roasting pan with just boiled water to come about half way up the cake tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the cheesecake should be set, but the underneath should still have a wobble to it.
- Peel away the foil and cling film wrapping and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool. Put in the refrigerator once it is no longer hot, and leave to set, covered with plastic overnight. Let it lose its chill before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.
- To make the chocolate sauce: very gently melt the chopped chocolate, cream and syrup. When the chocolate has nearly melted, take off the heat and whisk it to a smooth sauce. Let it cool a little, and pour it over the chocolate cheesecake on its serving plate.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 472 |
| Total Fat | 37 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 27 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 177 mg |
| Sodium | 253 mg |
Reviews
Ive been doing this for a year now almost every month! i love it its perfect!
Made this for quilt class pot luck last night. It is sooo good. Thick and dense but not dry like some cheesecakes. I actually forgot the teaspoon cocoa dissolves in the hot water and I don’t think it made a difference at all. All the ladies oohhed and ahhed over it.
Lovely recipe, so good that I won’t look any further for a chocolate cheesecake recipe. I really appreciated the trick of putting the crust in the freezer to firm it up; it works!
I was happy to find Karen S.’s advice on custard powder substitute:
I was happy to find Karen S.’s advice on custard powder substitute:
Nigetlla stated the Custard Powder substitute is:
1 Tbs. Cornstarch, 1 tsp. Vanilla + an extra 1 tsp. Sugar.
1 Tbs. Cornstarch, 1 tsp. Vanilla + an extra 1 tsp. Sugar.
I did have a problem when I mixed this together—-it seized on me. Happily none of the ingredients are too expensive, so I threw out the “cement” and just added the 3 ingredients individually instead.
I didn’t do the water bath because I used my tart pans instead and they both turned out fine. (FYI – I made 2 crusts and split the filling and topping in half. Perfect amounts.)
This dessert is so rich I highly recommend serving with homemade whipped cream.
I love this recipe! The texture is nice and velvety from the extra egg yolks and the sour cream adds extra tang. I substituted cornstarch for custard power, to lessen the chances of cracking. Many reviewers noted their chocolate being “gritty” when added to the cheesecake: it wasn’t blending in properly, like liquids should. To prevent this, make sure your chocolate is at a similar temperature to your cheesecake base. To test, add some melted chocolate and stir, and see if it ribbons together or creates small chocolate flakes. If it flakes, then the chocolate needs to be cooled more. If it easily combines and the cheesecake turns into a dark, homogenous mixture, then your chocolate is at the perfect temperature. I tried an ice bath to speed up the cooling process, but that unfortunately caused my chocolate to stiffen into a ganache extremely quickly.
This cheesecake was delicious. The first time I made it, the chocolate seized up in the mixture and became all grainy. Can someone help me out with what I did wrong? How can you mix chocolate and water and not have this happen? This time, I left the cocoa/water mixture out completely and it was still delicious! It took a full hour in the oven.
When I mixed in the chocolate I wan’t happy with the “chocolaty level,” so I doubled it (the melted chocolate). I also added a splash of vanilla extract, because chocolate comes alive with a bit of vanilla. And I didn’t have sour cream… so I added more cream cheese (the same amount that was called for sour cream). So yes, I basically made a completely new recipe, but it is AMAZING! Creamy, creamy, creamy! I will definitely make this again!
Perfect cheesecake. Not too sweet, a little bit “dry” the way I like it, and REAL chocolate flavour. Didn’t make sauce, used fresh strawberries mashed instead, Did add Tia Maria and strong chocolate coffee to sour cream. used NEW Chocolate cream cheese that I thought was wonderful for the taste I was going for. Used double the bittersweet chocolate. Was amazing! The top cracked – but who cares, it’s all about the taste and texture for me. Did not use water bath as I was afraid would make it too creamy (I like it a bit dry). Was not disappointed. Will definitely make again. Thanks Nigella!
This is my go-to cheesecake recipe. Have made it dozens of times, love it!
Excellent. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Tip: Put cling wrap and foil on pan bottom BEFORE pressing the crust in. Super easy.
Tip: Put cling wrap and foil on pan bottom BEFORE pressing the crust in. Super easy.
I made it with melting the chocolate it was grainy but when it went in the oven it was smooth and worked well. But the cheesecake was super yummy! I didn’t topped with the drizzle shown on the picture.