The Chocolate Cheesecake
This recipe has become my "signature" dessert, but it's so easy, it would be criminal not to share it!
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Crust:
1 package chocolate graham crackers 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted Cake: 8 oz bittersweet chocolate 1/4 cup water 16 oz cream cheese (2 8 oz packages) 2/3 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 16 oz sour cream 1 tbsp cocoa powder |
Preheat oven to 350°. Set the main rack at the middle level. On the rack below, place a pyrex dish (I use 8x8, but it doesn't really matter) filled with water. This will humidify the oven.
In food processor, blend chocolate graham crackers and sugar until they make a fine crumb. Add butter and pulse a few times to thoroughly moisten mixture. Pour crumbs into springform pan. Spread the mixture out to even cover the bottom of the pan, then press it down firmly with your hand to pack the crumb together. Bake for 15 minutes (or freeze). Let cool before adding the cake. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat into the cream cheese. (Throughout the mixing, always scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to get everything mixed together.) Add vanilla and mix. (If using a handheld mixer, switch to a wooden spoon here.) Add the eggs one at a time and mix just until incorporated. Add sour cream and cocoa, mix just until incorporated. Melt the chocolate with the water on high in the microwave for one minute. Remove and mix until fully melted. Mix about 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate to lighten it and cool it down. Then mix the chocolate back into the cream cheese base. Pour the batter into the pan with the crust. Bake for 30 minutes. (When "done", the center and majority of the cake should still be liquidy, and the sides just set.) Next, turn off the oven, prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon, and let the cake cool in the oven for an hour. Then pull out the cake, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight to set. (It's ok if it's still liquidy.) |
Then sit back, relax and lick the two bowls beaters spoons and spatulas clean. Mmmmm chocolate!! and yes, i just rewrote that entire recipe from memory - i've done it that many times! when i get home i'll double check it and post any mistakes i might have made.
This cake tends to stand well on its own, but if you really want to make a sauce i'd suggest a straight fruit coulis (the tartness and citrus pairs well with the richness of the cheesecake). I also like to add interesting spices to both the crust and the cake. (Add the spices at the same time as the cocoa powder.) So far I've enjoyed cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and wasabi in my cakes. Don't worry about adding too much of any one spice, i've poured whole tablespoons in and barely tasted anything over the cheesecake. The wasabi is especially nice because its bite is tamed by the cake.
P.S. shout out to Nancy DeMis for teaching this one to me!
Don't use Trader Joe's chocolate! As i discovered to my disappointment, TJ's chocolate has a much higher oil content than other brands i've used (valrhona, ghirardelli), resulting in a much runnier batter and a lighter and soupier (and less chocolatey) cheesecake that melts. Not fun. It's very much worth it to pay the extra bucks for some good quality bittersweet.
This cake tends to stand well on its own, but if you really want to make a sauce i'd suggest a straight fruit coulis (the tartness and citrus pairs well with the richness of the cheesecake). I also like to add interesting spices to both the crust and the cake. (Add the spices at the same time as the cocoa powder.) So far I've enjoyed cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and wasabi in my cakes. Don't worry about adding too much of any one spice, i've poured whole tablespoons in and barely tasted anything over the cheesecake. The wasabi is especially nice because its bite is tamed by the cake.
P.S. shout out to Nancy DeMis for teaching this one to me!
Don't use Trader Joe's chocolate! As i discovered to my disappointment, TJ's chocolate has a much higher oil content than other brands i've used (valrhona, ghirardelli), resulting in a much runnier batter and a lighter and soupier (and less chocolatey) cheesecake that melts. Not fun. It's very much worth it to pay the extra bucks for some good quality bittersweet.