Tall Chocolate Cheesecake
My friend Jeanne made a toweringly tall New York cheesecake, and I remembered its gloriousness when this article popped up in my newsfeed. Me being me, I bought the special pan made for the sole purpose of making tall cheesecake....... but I really wanted a chocolate cheesecake! A bit of research turned up this recipe, so I decided to combine elements of the two, along with the crust from here. I've baked my other cheesecake without a waterbath, so I tried the same here.
|
Crust:
16 Oreo cookies (with filling), broken into rough pieces, about 2 1/2 cups 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled Filling: 2 lbs. or (4) 8 oz. blocks plain cream cheese, room temperature 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/2 c. sour cream, room temperature 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, room temperature 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cool 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp. kosher sea salt 4 eggs, room temperature 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. espresso powder (optional) |
To make the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°. With your hands, break the oreos into large chunks and add to the bowl of a food processor. Process until ground into fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a large bowl and mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are uniformly moistened. (A small clump should stick together when pressed). Pour into the pan and press into an even 1/4" layer that covers the bottom of the pan, and goes up the sides of the pan as much as possible. Bake for 10 minutes to set. To make the filling: Turn down the oven to 325°. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and heavy cream the bowl of a stand mixer for approximately 4 minutes or until smooth and creamy. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and salt. Turn mixing speed back up to high and beat for an additional minute. With mixing speed on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. In a small bowl dissolve the espresso powder in the vanilla extract. With mixing speed on low, add the vanilla/espresso mixture, then beat on high for 1 minute. Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour, until the sides are set but the center is still jiggly. Turn off the oven, prop the door open a crack with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake rest in the oven an additional hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. After 30 minutes in the fridge, cover with foil to prevent condensation on the top of the cheesecake. To serve: Rest the cheesecake on a tall can (at least 4" tall); gently pull the ring of the pan down to remove the cake. Transfer the cake to a serving plate; garnish with chocolate curls, raspberries and whipped cream. |