Learn how to make the best chocolate cheesecake with this easy recipe featuring sour cream, dark chocolate, and cocoa powder, yielding a creamy, dark-chocolate cheesecake with incredible flavour! The cheesecake is baked in a water bath to ensure it bakes smooth and flat, with no cracks on the surface.
It took a little effort to create this chocolate cheesecake recipe, but it was well worth it! Initially, I tried to add too much dark chocolate to the filling, which made it rather dense. With too much chocolate, you had to temper the cheesecake at room temperature before serving it. Otherwise, it seemed dry! Not ideal! Later versions had less dark chocolate (while still retaining the flavour we want!) and I replaced a portion of the cream cheese with sour cream. These small tweaks created the dreamiest, creamiest dark chocolate cheesecake.
This is the final instalment in my series of cheesecake recipes. I hope you enjoy it!
Jump to:
Ingredients
You will need the standard cheesecake ingredients, with a few tweaks to ensure the final cheesecake is creamy and chocolaty enough. Here's what you need:
- chocolate sandwich cookies-I prefer to use Oreo brand sandwich cookies to make the crust. I've tested both regular and gluten-free cookies in this recipe. In fact, the gluten-free Oreos made the best crust, though both work here
- butter-I prefer to use unsalted butter to make the crust to be able to better control the salt in the crust
- salt-the salt balances out the sweetness of the crust I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount.
- cream cheese-use blocks of full-fat Philadelphia brand or Kirkland brand cream cheese. Do not use whipped or spreadable cream cheese. The composition is too different and I can't guarantee results with either products
- sugar-I tested this recipe with granulated sugar (fine sugar). Don't use icing sugar or coarse sugar. The texture of either isn't right in this recipe. You could use brown sugar (light or dark), but I used white sugar to avoid adding flavour that may compete with the dark chocolate
- sour cream-to ensure a creamy cheesecake filling, I added full-fat sour cream to the filling
- chocolate-I tested this recipe with 70 % dark chocolate (specifically Ocoa dark chocolate from Cacao Barry)
- cocoa powder-I bake almost exclusively with Dutch-processed cocoa powder with a high fat content (20-25 %). I used the Extra Brute cocoa powder from Cacao Barry
- eggs-use large eggs for this recipe, if not the texture of the cheesecake may be different.
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
The substitutions are limited in this recipe in this recipe.
- Crust - you can make an Oreo cookie crust or a graham cracker crust, both regular and gluten free cookies can be used to make the crust. In fact, I found gluten-free Oreos worked exceedingly well!
- Filling - for a slightly denser filling, you can replace the sour cream with an extra block of cream cheese (250 grams).
- Coffee - if you'd like to add coffee flavour to your chocolate cheesecake filling, add 1-3 tablespoons of instant espresso powder when you add the cocoa powder
Instructions
The crust is made and baked before you mix the filling. Follow the visuals in the Oreo cookie crust recipe for specific details on each step. The filling is assembled like any cheesecake. Remember, the goal is not to incorporate air into the filling, so don't crank the mixer up too high!
Step 1-Start by softening the cream cheese in the mixer, mixing it until creamy and smooth, then add the sugar (image 1), followed by the sour cream (image 2), and finally the cocoa powder (image 3).
Note: since I later strained the cheesecake filling, I did not sift the cocoa powder. If you are not planning to strain the filling, you may sift the cocoa powder into the mixer bowl to remove lumps or clumps.
Step 2-Add the eggs one at a time (image 4), mixing well between each addition, then add the melted chocolate (image 5). The batter should look quite smooth and fairly fluid, though not completely liquid (image 6).
Step 3-This step is optional, but I like to strain the chocolate cheesecake filling through a fine-mesh sieve (image 7) and work it through with a spatula. You will notice a few flecks of chocolate left behind (image 8). The chocolate cheesecake filling is glossy and thick, but still pourable (image 9).
Step 4-After pouring the chocolate cheesecake filling over a baked crust, place the foil-wrapped pan in a roasting pan and fill halfway with boiling water (image 10). The water bath ensures the cheesecake will bake smooth and flat without cracking (image 11).
Hint: Wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil (3 layers) to ensure no water leaks into the crust. I use heavy-duty foil that is wide enough to completely wrap and cover the base and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan.
Storage
Store the baked cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, covered in aluminum foil.
You can also slice and freeze the cheesecake (or freeze it whole), then defrost it overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Top Tip
Straining the cheesecake filling before pouring it onto the crust and baking is entirely optional. However, I think the smoothness of the filling when you strain it makes the extra effort worth it. Will anybody notice if you don't strain the filling? No. But they will notice how smooth and creamy the cheesecake is if you do! Pastry chefs strain fillings all the time, and this is the secret technique professionals use for transforming a great dessert into the best!
Other Chocolate Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this recipe for chocolate cheesecake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Baked Oreo Cookie Crust For 9-inch Cheesecakes
- 190 grams Oreo cookies about 16 cookies
- 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 58 grams unsalted butter melted
Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
- 750 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) use the block kind (see note), softened
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 250 mL sour cream (14% fat)
- 24 grams cocoa powder
- 4 large egg(s)
- 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) melted and cooled
- 1.75 L boiling water to create the water bath in the roasting pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Boil a full kettle of water (1.75-2 L).
- In a food processor bowl fitted with the metal S-blade, combine the Oreo cookies and salt. Pulse them together until you end up with a fine crumb.
- Pour the melted butter over top and pulse the mixture again until all the ingredients are moistened and the mixture begins to clump.
- Transfer the crust mixture to your prepared pan and spread it out from edge to edge in an even layer, flattening and pressing it out with a flat-bottomed glass to create a smooth, tight crust.
- Bake the crust until the edges until set (10-15 minutes). You know it's done when you can smell it! Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool.
- Drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C).
- Wrap the outside of the cheesecake pan in three layers of wide heavy duty foil so that it is well protected.
- Prepare the cheesecake filling by creaming the blocks of cream cheese together until smooth and creamy, then mix in the sugar, followed by the sour cream and cocoa powder.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, only adding the next egg when the previous one has been completely incorporated.
- Stir in the melted chocolate.
- Strain the filling to remove any lumps if necessary, then pour it over your baked cheesecake crust. Smooth the surface of the cheesecake with a mini offset spatula.
- Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan in the roasting pan and pour water in the roasting pan (making sure to avoid splashing the cheesecake filling!). Fill with enough water to come halfway up the cheesecake pan.
- Place the roasting pan in the oven, carefully, and bake the cheesecake until set but the centre remains a little jiggly (this takes about 75 minutes for me).
- Turn the oven off when the cheesecake is done baking and prop the oven door slightly to allow the oven to slowly cool down. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door propped open for about 2 hours to cool completely.
- Take the cheesecake out of the water bath and transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, if not overnight, before slicing and serving.
- Warm a large knife under very hot water and dry it off to cleanly slice the cheesecake. Clean the knife between cuts, rewarming it as needed so that the filling doesn't stick to the knife too much.
Notes
- For the crust, I use whole Oreos (filling and all) because Nabisco and Mr. Christie chocolate wafers have been discontinued. If you prefer, you can make a graham cracker crumb crust or if you still have access to chocolate wafers, you can also use the graham crust recipe (you can use most dry cookies/biscuits for the crumbs for the graham cracker crust recipe, like speculoos cookies, chocolate wafer crumbs (Oreo crumbs), or even social tea biscuits).
- This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
- For the cream cheese, use full-fat cream cheese sold in block form. Do not use whipped, light, or spreadable cream cheese as these products may have more water or fat.
- Use a water bath made with a roasting pan and boiling water to bake the cheesecake. Make sure to wrap the springform pan in three layers of aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping into the pan and to prevent the crust from getting soggy. Alternatively, you could use a 9-inch round cake pan with 3-inch sides, making sure to line the bottom with parchment paper. You will have to flip the cheesecake onto a parchment paper-lined board, upside-down, to get it out of the pan, which may ruin the smooth finish on top.
- Use heavy-duty wide foil (18 inches wide) to wrap the springform pan and prevent any water from leaking in and ruining the crust.
- For the cocoa whipped cream: I whipped 250 mL (1 cup) of 35 % whipping cream until soft peaks form, then I mixed in 25 grams of icing sugar and 15 grams of sifted cocoa powder. This gives a mildly chocolaty whipped cream that is quite stable and a nice complement to the dark chocolate cheesecake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Leave a Reply