Double Chocolate Cheesecake
Submitted by dennis
Double chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate wafer crust and a dense, fudgy chocolate cream cheese filling. Rich, smooth and crack-free, finished with piped white chocolate stars. A chocolate lover’s showpiece.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
45 minREADY
5 hrsThis cheesecake earns the ‘double’ honestly: chocolate in the crust and chocolate in the filling. A pressed chocolate wafer-crumb crust climbs the sides of a springform pan, then gets filled with cream cheese beaten silky with melted chocolate, sugar and vanilla for a dense, fudgy slice.
The single most important instruction is written in capital letters in the recipe for good reason: do not overbeat once the eggs go in. Beating too hard whips in air that puffs the cheesecake up dramatically, only to sink and crack as it cools. Mix on low just until combined and you get a smooth, even top.
Patience finishes the job. It bakes until the center is barely set, then chills for hours so it firms into clean, creamy slices. Piped white chocolate stars dress it up for the table.
Chef Tips
- Do not overbeat after adding the eggs. Excess air is the number one cause of cracks and a sunken top.
- Bring the cream cheese and eggs to room temperature so they blend smooth without lumps.
- Pull it when the center still jiggles slightly. It sets fully as it chills, and overbaking dries it out.
- Give it the full chill, ideally overnight. The flavor and texture both improve, and it slices cleaner cold.
Variations
- Bake in a water bath for an extra-silky texture and cheap insurance against cracks.
- Swap the chocolate wafer crust for crushed chocolate sandwich cookies or a graham crust.
- Top with chocolate ganache, fresh raspberries or a white chocolate swirl instead of the stars.
Ingredients
Directions
Press mixture, evenly over the bottom and 1¾ inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Place the pan in a shallow baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, the 4 squares of melted chocolate, flour and vanilla until well mixed.
Add eggs all at once, the beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until mixed.
DO NOT OVERBEAT! Stir in milk.
Pour filling into the crust.
Bake in a 350℉ (180℃) F Oven about 45 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.
Cool on a wire rack 5 to 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan.
Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.
For a star design, pipe melted vanilla-flavored pieces into stars atop cheesecake.
In a small saucepan melt the 1 square of chocolate and shortening over low heat, pipe into stars.
Chill until chocolate is set.
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