Amazing Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Last updated on June 29th, 2024 at 04:44 am

This Delicious Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe is creamy and smooth, and is one dessert every chocolate lover has to try.

After making Apple pie, I wanted a thick and creamy indulgent cheesecake that everyone would enjoy. And I can’t help but be happy this decadent cheesecake hit the spot!

Why this is my favorite decadent Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

While most cheesecake recipes are a delicious mix of thick and creamy. This one has the strong flavor of the dark chocolate adding another level to a already decadent cake!

With all of that, this smooth and decadent cheesecake melts in your mouth making this the perfect cheesecake for a special occasion!

Toppings for Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

There are many topping that would work great on this cheesecake. Whipped cream, fresh raspberries, fresh strawberries. But I find a dark chocolate cheesecake needs a dark chocolate ganache to really make this smooth cheesecake even better.

Possible Substitutes

Cream Cheese

I use 30% cream cheese in this recipe But any one with 30-35% fat content will work great

Substituting Sour Cream

I personally use Lactose free sour cream and find it is of better quality than normal ones to be honest. But any 14% fat content should work fine as it adds a nice little extra to the flavor of the Cheesecake.

Can I use lactose free Cream Cheese instead?

There is hardly any difference in cheesecake recipes before switching to using Lactose Free Cream cheese.

I usually add it because me and some of my family members are lactose intolerant to different levels. That and I want everyone to get a taste of the delicious decadent dessert I made without a worry of if it will make them sick.

Crust substitutes

You can buy the chocolate crumbs for the crust or make them using some oreo cookies and a sturdy food processor just make sure to take out the filling.

To make the amount of chocolate crumbs this recipe needs you will only need 16-18 oreos.

Chocolate substitutes

I used 70% dark chocolate in this recipe, but as long as it is dark chocolate with about 52 grams of sugar in the whole 200 gram package it will work great.

Preparing the Melted Chocolate

This recipe requires half of the chocolate to be melted before pouring it in the filling, and the other half to chopped into small bits to be melted in the sauce.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Crust

3 cups of chocolate crumbs (400g) (there is a substitution above)

1/2 cup of melted butter (salted or unsalted, both work)

For the Filling

500 g of cream cheese (2 packages)

1/2 cup of sugar

4 tbsp. (60 g) of cocoa powder

1 cup of sour cream

1 tsp of vanilla extract

3/4 of a cup of dark chocolate chips

4 eggs

For the Dark chocolate Ganache

1 cup of chopped dark chocolate chips (Chopped finely)

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Directions

First we will preheat the oven to 325°F before anything else.

First we start with the Chocolate Crust

1. Now we grease the sides of the 9 inch springform pan we are using. Then we pour the crumbs into a medium sized bowl, melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl and pour it onto the crumbs.

2. Stir until completely combined and all the crumbs look like they have a slightly greasy coating.

3. Now pour the mixture into the springform pan using a small flat spatula (or a spoon) to spread the crumbs evenly along the sides of the springform pan and the bottom.

4. Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes at the 325°F. After finishing the blind baked crust turn the oven down to 270°F.

Make the Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake Filling

1. Put all the cream cheese on a large plate or bowl and microwave until it is room temperature.

2. In a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer) mix the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder on low (It will make a big mess if the speed is any higher) until smooth and fully combined. You will need to clean off the sides of the bowl and add the filling back to the mixture through each step or it will end up on top of the cheesecake when we pour the cheesecake batter onto the crust.

3. Now we add the vanilla and sour cream and mix it on low until it is fully mixed in.

4. We need to melt the chocolate in the microwave until it is completely melted (If there are any chunks left, they will not mix properly in the stand mixer and hold their shape through the baking process leaving chunks in the cheesecake) slowly add the melted chocolate to the bowl with the mixer on low. This will prevent the chocolate from clumping up and will allow you to make sure there are no clumps of chocolate left.

5. Now add the eggs one at a time with the mixer on slow (I suggest cracking them into a small measuring cup to make sure you don’t add any of the eggs shells to the mix (That would not be fun))

6. Pour the cheesecake batter onto the crust and slowly using a spatula clean out the rest of the bowl.

7. Put 9 inch springform pan into the preheated oven and bake, set the timer for 1 and a half hours.

8. After the cook time is over turn off the oven and let it sit. The cheesecake will bake in the over for the moment as you decide how quickly you want to cool the cheesecake.

The Slow or the Fast way that is the Question!

There are two ways to do this.

The Slow way is to let the cheesecake sit in the oven with it off and let it cool completely in there lowering the chance of it cracking a lot. By the time you pull it out of the oven the inside of the oven should be close to room temperature. Be warned this may take a number of hours.

The Fast way is to let it sit in the oven for 30 minutes then pull it out and let it cool for as long as you are willing to let it. It will come out slightly jiggly though.

Make the dark chocolate ganache

1. Finely chop up all of the dark chocolate chips on a cutting board. I find a serrated knife works best. When you are done cutting pour all of the chopped chocolate into a small bowl.

2. In a pot pour the heavy cream in and heat it up just before it is about to boil. Now we add all of the chopped chocolate into the pot and turn off the heat pulling the pot off the direct heat.

3. Very slowly stir the melted chocolate and heavy cream mixture for the next few minutes. Before your eyes the mixture will slowly start to turn into a delicious chocolate ganache!

Now comes the best part!

At this point we can let the ganache sit for a few minutes to cool and put it in the fridge. Or pour it on top of the delicious baked cheesecake we have made.

Just so you know the Ganache will harden and become a thick chocolate sauce after it has chilled in the fridge. So I suggest you pour it into a separate bowl and spoon out what you want as you need. You can warm it up on slow in the microwave.

Can you freeze the Dark Chocolate Cheesecake?

Yes you can! you can wrap the whole cheesecake or slices of it up and store them in the freezer for two months. When you are ready to serve it defrost the wrapped cheesecake in the fridge overnight, but don’t unwrap it until it is thawed.

If you like this Cheesecake recipes try my other ones as well!

My New York style pumpkin Cheesecake is delicious.