Double Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

If you love sweets, you will be head over heels for this rich, luscious double chocolate cheesecake recipe. The flavors in this decadent dessert are mind-blowing.

Is there anything better than a tasty cake for a treat? In addition to this one, I often make my simple Pound Cake and Funfetti Cake for quick, tasty sweets for the family.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate cheesecake is a sweet dessert cake in a cookie crust that is baked until firm and then chilled. The texture of the cheesecake is rich, creamy, dense, and filling. To make this a double chocolate cheesecake, I used cocoa powder and chocolate chips in the batter and then covered them with chocolate ganache.

While this cake can be eaten by itself, I’ve taken the liberty to enhance it by topping it off with chocolate whipped cream and serving it with raspberry coulis. There are several ways to make this recipe, which will differ depending on who is making it. In no way is this a healthy dessert.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cream Cheese – Room temperature full-fat cream cheese is what you will need to use.
• Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream to help add a little acid to the batter.
• Chocolate – I used a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder.
• Eggs – Room temperature, large eggs were used in the batter.
• Cornstarch – This is used to help bring the batter together when baking to stabilize it.
• Vanilla – Some vanilla extract will help add flavor to the chocolate cheesecake.
• Salt – I always use sea salt in my cooking and baking.
• Sugar – Any granulated sugar will work.
• Milk/Cream – A little bit of whole milk is used in the batter, and heavy whipping cream is used for the ganache topping.
• Coffee – A little bit of espresso powder or strong coffee will significantly enhance the flavor of the chocolate.
• Cookies – Use any crème filled chocolate sandwiches.
• Butter – I always used unsalted butter in my cooking and baking so that I control the salt content.

How to Make a Double Chocolate Cheesecake

Firstly, start by adding the cookies and melted unsalted butter to a food processor and process on high speed until they become finely crumbled. Briefly set aside.

Rub some softened butter on the bottom of your 10” spring form pan, then place a round parchment paper on top of it. The butter will help it to stick.

Pour the cookie crust crumbs into the pan and begin forming it to the sides of pan.

Pack it with the backside of a large spoon or glass and press firmly while pressing down with the other hand.

Next, press down the crumbs to pack in the bottom.

Bake the pan on a rack in the lower third portion of your oven and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler over low to medium heat until smooth. You will need to stir it using a rubber spatula occasionally. Set it aside.

Whip the softened cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Stop and scrape the bowl after 1 minute of mixing.

Once smooth, add sugar and whip on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl after 1 minute of mixing.

Mix in the sour cream.

Turn it to low speed and pour in the vanilla, and then add 1 egg at a time until it is mixed in. Do not add the next egg until the last one is mixed in. Stop and scrape the bowl.

Add salt, cornstarch, espresso powder, and cocoa powder and mix on low to medium speed for 1 minute until mixed in.

Turn it to low speed and pour in the melted chocolate, making sure to scrape the bowl to get it out. Mix it until combined. Stop and scrape the bowl.

Add in the hot milk and mix on low to medium speed just until mixed in. There should be no lumps in it. You can heat the milk in a small saucepan or a microwave until hot.

Pour the batter into the pre-cooked crust pan scraping all the ingredients. Give it a gentle shake to settle it.

Place the pan onto a large sheet of aluminum foil and wrap the foil around it, not over it. See the video.

Add some hot water before boiling to a deep pan until it reaches the halfway point.

Put the foil-wrapped pan into the center of the pan. The foil helps to keep the water out.

Bake on a rack in the lower third portion of your oven and bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it stand in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove the pan from the water and remove the foil.

Place on a cooling rack, cool to room temperature, and then place in the refrigerator until completely cold. It will take several hours in the refrigerator before it’s cold.

Make the soft ganache by melting chocolate in cream in a double boiler over low to medium heat until melted and smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate ganache over the chocolate cheesecake and spread it using an offset spatula. Removing the outside of the springform pan before adding the melted chocolate is best.

Place it back in the refrigerator until it is completely cool, which takes about 30 to 45 minutes.

Finally, mark each slice and garnish with optional chocolate whipped cream, raspberries, and raspberry coulis sauce.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this cake up to 1 day ahead of time.

How to Store: Store this covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I usually leave it in the springform pan when storing it. This will freeze well and be covered for up to 3 months. You should thaw the cake in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving.

Chef Notes + Tips

• The cream cheese must be at room temperature. To do this, I place it from the refrigerator onto the counter 2 hours before making the recipe.
• Essential to ensure your eggs are at room temperature. To do this, I place it from the refrigerator onto the counter 2 hours before making the recipe.
• I like to use the backside of a measuring cup to press in the graham cracker crust.
• While annoying, it’s vital to stop the mixer and scrape the bowl often throughout the process. I usually do it 5 to 6 times in total.
• Eggs and fat don’t mix naturally, so when you mix in 1 egg at a time until it is thoroughly mixed in, it guarantees that all your ingredients are mixing.  Take your time with this process.
• Always bake your cheesecake in a hot water bath before boiling water.
• Bake the cake on a rack in the lower third portion of your oven.
• Instead of melting the chocolate in a double boiler, you can place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 1 minute. Stir it and heat for 30 seconds. Continue in 30-second bursts while mixing in between until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

More Dessert Recipes

• Apple Fritters
• Olive Oil Cake
• Torta Caprese
• Chess Pie
• Gooey Butter Cake

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Double Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

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4.95 from 34 votes

If you love sweets, you will be head over heels for this rich, luscious double chocolate cheesecake recipe.

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 6 hours hours

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

or the Crust:

• 1 package or 1 pound 4 ounces of cream filled chocolate cookies, 48 total
• 1 stick melted unsalted butter

For the Filling:

• 24 ounces softened full-fat cream cheese
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs + 1 egg yolk room temperature large eggs
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons whole milk

For the Topping:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• chocolate whipped cream
• raspberry coulis

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Start by adding the cookies and melted unsalted butter to a food processor and process on high speed until they become finely crumbles. Briefly set aside.
• Rub some softened butter on the bottom of your 10” spring form pan and then place a parchment paper round on top of it. The butter will help it to stick.
• Pour the cookie crust crumbs into the pan and begin forming it to the sides of the pan.
• Pack it with the backside of a large spoon or glass and press firmly with one hand while pressing down with the other hand. Next, press down the crumbs to pack in the bottom.
• Bake the pan on a rack in the lower third portion of your oven and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a double boiler over low to medium heat, melt the chocolate chips until smooth. You will need to occasionally stir it using a rubber spatula. Set it aside to briefly cool.
• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the softened cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl after 1 minute of mixing. Once smooth, add sugar and whip on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl after 1 minute of mixing.
• Mix in the sour cream.
• Turn it to low speed and pour in the vanilla, and then add 1 egg at a time until it is mixed in. Do not add the next egg until the last one is mixed in. Stop and scrape the bowl.
• Now, add salt, cornstarch, espresso powder, and cocoa powder and mix on low to medium speed for 1 minute just until mixed in.
• Turn it to low speed and pour in the melted chocolate, making sure to scrape the bowl to get all of it out. Mix until combined. Stop and scrape the bowl
• Add in the hot milk and mix on low to medium speed just until mixed in. There should be no lumps in it. You can heat the milk in a small saucepan or in a microwave until hot.
• Pour the batter into the pre-cooked crust pan scraping all the ingredients. Give it a gentle shake to settle it.
• Place the pan onto a large sheet of aluminum foil and wrap the foil around it, not over it. See the video.
• Add some hot water, before boiling, to a deep pan until it reaches the halfway point. Put the foil-wrapped pan into the center of the pan. The foil helps to keep the water out.
• Bake on a rack in the lower third portion of your oven and bake at 350° for 50 minutes.
• Turn the heat off and let it stand in the oven for 1 hour.
• Remove the pan from the water and remove the foil. Place on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature and then place in the refrigerator until completely cold. It will take several hours in the refrigerator before it’s cold.
• Make the soft ganache by melting the chocolate in cream in a double boiler over low to medium heat until melted and smooth.
• Pour the melted chocolate ganache over the top of the chocolate cheesecake and spread it out using an offset spatula. It’s best if the outside of the springform pan is removed before adding the melted chocolate.
• Place it back in the refrigerator until it is completely cool, which takes about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Mark each slice and then garnish with optional chocolate whipped cream, raspberries, and raspberry coulis sauce.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make this cake up to 1 day ahead of time.

How to Store: Store this covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I usually leave it in the springform pan when storing it. This will freeze well and be covered for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving.

The cream cheese must be at room temperature. To do this, I place it from the refrigerator onto the counter 2 hours before making the recipe.

Essential to ensure your eggs are at room temperature. To do this, I place it from the refrigerator onto the counter 2 hours before making the recipe.

I like to use the backside of a measuring cup to press in the graham cracker crust.

While annoying, it’s vital to stop the mixer and scrape the bowl often throughout the process. I usually do it 5 to 6 times in total.

Eggs and fat don’t mix naturally, so when you mix in 1 egg at a time until it is thoroughly mixed in, it guarantees that all your ingredients are mixing.  Take your time with this process.

Always bake your cheesecake in a hot water bath before boiling water.

Bake the cake on a rack in the lower third portion of your oven.

Instead of melting the chocolate in a double boiler, you can place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 1 minute. Stir it and heat for 30 seconds. Continue in 30-second bursts while mixing in between until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 9gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 408mgPotassium: 379mgFiber: 4gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 1074IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 3mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi