| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Inactive: | 3 hr |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Dutch process baking cocoa
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled (or packaged pre-melted)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
- 10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped or about 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips, for garnish
Instructions
- For the chocolate cake “crust”: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom only of a 9-inch springform pan that has been lined with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the extract and eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and cocoa and mix well to combine. The batter will be stiff. Spread in the pan. Set aside.
- For the baked chocolate cheesecake: In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and ricotta with the sugar until smooth. Add a small amount of the cheese mixture to the melted chocolate and combine well. Once the little bit of cheese mixture and chocolate is mixed well, add it back to the rest of the cheese mixture and beat until well combined. Add the eggs and flour and beat well. Smooth over the top of the cake batter in the pan. Bake until the cheesecake is set in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover with foil during last 10 minutes to prevent over browning. Remove from the oven and cool.
- A cheesecake is not like a regular cake. It is considered set when the center is still wobbly. After you chill the cheesecake, it will set without wobbling. At this point let the cake cool. Once it is cool, you need to chill the cake for an hour or two.
- For the vanilla cream cheese mousse: Once your chocolate and cheesecake base has been chilled, you can start making the third layer.
- Beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff and set aside. In separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with a mixer in large bowl until well blended. Fold the whipped cream into cheese mixture until just combined. Spread the mixture over the baked cheesecake layer and chill well (freezing the cake at this point works well and makes spreading the final layer easier). Make sure you chill for several hours to make sure all the layers are set.
- For the dark chocolate/white chocolate ganache: Place the chopped dark chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the cream and butter over low heat until just boiling. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture. Pour the rest of the cream mixture over the chocolate and let set about 2 minutes, or until it begins to melt. Stir to combine. Repeat for the white chips using the reserved cream mixture. Let cool slightly until spreading consistency.
- Using a sharp knife, gently run the blade around the edge of the cake to loosen. Remove the cake sides from the pan and place the bottom with cake on a serving plate or stand. Spread the frosting over the top and sides.
- Drizzle the white chocolate lightly over the top. Using a knife or toothpick, run it lightly over the top to swirl to create desired effect. At this point, I would place the white chocolate ganache in a pastry bag and use a small round tip to decorate the top of the cake instead of trying to just drizzle it on top. You have more control.
- Press the mini chips (regular size works too) into the frosting on sides until completely coated to create a “crust.” Place the cake in the fridge to chill while preparing the final frosting.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 803 |
| Total Fat | 55 g |
| Saturated Fat | 33 g |
| Carbohydrates | 71 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 61 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 212 mg |
| Sodium | 277 mg |
Reviews
Made the cheesecake for my daughter last year & going to make it again this year!!!!! She loves cheescake and she LOVED this one. It just takes alot of patience & time but well worth it. Saw the singer on the foodnetwork who came up with the recipe. m3
This is a fabulous cheesecake! I made it last Christmas and it was a big hit. I will be making it for this Thanksgiving. Perfect instructions for my inexperienced level of baking.
flop – i have years of cheesecake baking experience… this came out super soupy – and the so-called “crust” was an insane disappointment. not inclined to even try again.
We thought this recipe was spot on! I baked mine for 30 minutes, covering for the last 5 and it turned out perfect. I guess everyone’s oven is a little different. The first time I made it with the parchment but it seemed unnecessary, so the second time I sprayed the bottom of the springform and it worked just fine for me. We all loved this recipe. It tasted like a decadent hot fudge brownie sundae.
Too die for cheesecake loved loved loved it, and so did those who were lucky enough to get a slice
Took advice of other reviewers and baked for 50 minutes and allowed plenty of time in between for cooling. I thought cheesecake was delicious and will make again. To Vanessa365 keep negative comments to yourself. Nobody likes a hater.
I really enjoyed this cake. yes the timing is way off! i baked mine for 50 minutes and I’m in Indiana. The bottom is very dense like a brownie! the cheesecake is very chocolatey and really needs the mousse to lighten up the the chocolate. I left the ganache off because hubby doesnt care for it too much. It’s very good though! bake it longer and you will be fine!
My cheesecake was absolutely phenomenal. I did take the advice from the other reviews and changed the baking time-50 minutes in a humid southern kitchen. I also pre-baked the bottom layer for seven minutes; let it cool then proceeded with the other layers. The entire process took 1 1/2 day between the baking and cooling. Note: it is important to refrigerate overnite or freezing cake before adding the ganache layer. Everyone thought it was a professionally made cheesecake. Rich and decadent.
This was a really disappointing dish, a total flop. I followed the recipe exactly. The baking time is way to short. The cake bottom did not cook, it was soupy. The cheesecake part was also under cooked, it was just a runny mess. The vanilla cream cheese layer was good, no baking involved for that. I wouldn’t waste my time or ingredients trying it again.
For the Chocolate Cake “Crust”
Add 1/4 teaspoon of Maxwell House Instant Coffee
Add 1/4 teaspoon of Maxwell House Instant Coffee
For the Baked Chocolate Cheese
Instead of Ricotta Cheese add Mascarpone Cheese and I do not add flour to my cheesecake, do not add this ingredient. Also, bake the chocolate cheesecake for 45 minutes-1 hour on 325 F. Then make sure you let it cool on a sheet tray or a cookie rack for 3 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. I also think this Jeneen was lying to Sunny about how much money she raised for her album, but maybe I’m wrong.
Brown Eyed Girlz