If you’re a chocolate lover, this is the cheesecake you’ve been waiting for. With a chocolate crust, filling and topping, it’s a chocoholic’s dream.
MAKES:one 9-inch cheesecake; 10 to 12 servings
PREP TIME: 40 minutes
COOKING TIME: about 1 hour
CHILLING TIME: at least 4 hours, 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
CHOCOLATE WAFER CRUST
- 20 chocolate wafers, crushed into crumbs
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
FILLING
- 10 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 pkgs (each 8 oz/250 g) brick-style cream cheese, at room temperature and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 large eggs
GANACHE TOPPING
- ½ cup whipping cream (35%)
- 5 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- For the chocolate wafer crust, stir together the chocolate wafer crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the butter until well combined.
- Press the crumb mixture evenly over the base of the prepared pan. Bake until firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool completely. Turn down the oven temperature to 325ºF.
- For the filling, put the chocolate in a medium bowl set over a saucepan of hot, not boiling, water. Stir until almost completely melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until completely smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Put the cream cheese in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (or use a large bowl and a hand-held electric mixer). Pulse until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and cocoa powder, then pulse until well combined.
- With the food processor running, gradually pour in the cooled melted chocolate. Process until smooth, creamy and well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition.
- Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the centre is set, about 50 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- For the ganache topping, combine the cream, chocolate and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Pour the topping evenly over the cheesecake. Refrigerate until the topping has set, at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to serve, hold a large, slim knife under hot water, then run it around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan. Release the sides of the pan and slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
