What’s better than a cheesecake? A chocolate cheesecake!
Chocolate cheesecake is an all-time classic dessert. It’s velvety, smooth, and rich but also fluffy and moist. Nothing quite tops off a meal like a slice of cheesecake at a restaurant, but why wait to go to a restaurant for a great dessert when you can easily make it at home? All it takes is some basic baking ingredients and a sweet tooth!
While there are no-bake options for cheesecake, I think this “yes-bake” recipe is one of the best out there. Baking this cheesecake is what gives it that exquisite texture. It’s simply not possible to have this fluffy and smooth yet dense and moist texture if you do a no-bake cheesecake, though there are, of course, lots of delicious no-bakes out there. Still, when it comes to this chocolate cheesecake recipe, baking takes the cake!
What I love about this chocolate cheesecake is how easy this recipe is! The ingredients are either things I already have in my refrigerator and cabinet or are easy to get more of from the grocery store. It’s a tasty crowd-pleaser and a showstopper if you’ve got a buffet-style gathering, holiday meal, dinner party, birthday, or even a pot-luck. The only problem with serving it at a large gathering is that you won’t have leftovers for yourself to take back home.
Choose Good Chocolate!
Chocolate is the whole point of this chocolate cheesecake, so don’t even think about using inferior chocolate! You want to use only your favorite, best chocolate chips that are available to you for a high-quality chocolate cheesecake. I always like to grab dark chocolate (specifically, semi-sweet) chocolate chips for anything I cook since I love that rich flavor dark chocolate imparts. I find the best choice to be between 35% and 65% cacao, but you can also use up to 75% bittersweet dark chocolate, which you may need to buy in bar form and break up into smaller pieces. I don’t recommend using a higher percentage than that. Otherwise, it will get too bitter.
How to Make Ahead and Store
Don’t leave cheesecake out on a countertop! It’s not like a regular cake that can manage a while out at room temperature. This is dairy-heavy, and so it needs to be refrigerated or frozen. To refrigerate, cover it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and it’ll stay good for about a week. When you’re ready to eat, you can eat it either cold straight out of the fridge or at room temperature after being left out for 1 to 2 hours. If you choose to freeze your chocolate cheesecake, make sure it’s wrapped tightly or placed in an airtight container. Defrost by leaving it at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Serving Suggestions
The best way to serve a chocolate cheesecake is with, of course, extra chocolate! Make yourself a Chocolate Ganache to drape over your cake, sprinkle on some raspberries and/or extra chocolate (grated chocolate, to be fancy), and serve with a full dollop of Sweetened Whipped Cream.
For more cheesecake recipes, take a look at this creamy Ricotta Cheesecake, this fancy Apple-Almond Bavarian Cheesecake or these particularly tempting Reese’s Cheesecake Bars.
Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies crushed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips melted and cooled
- Whipped cream for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Combine the crushed cookies with melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a crust. Bake for 8 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add sour cream, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gently fold in the melted chocolate until the mixture is uniform.
- Pour the filling over the prepared crust and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center is still slightly jiggly.
- Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour to prevent cracking.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until fully set.
- Serve chilled with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
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