January 30, 2008
Heart of Darkness Cheesecake
Ingredients:
for the crust:
1 1/2 cups of Intensely Dark Chocolate Icebox Cookie crumbs*
6 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled slightly
for the cheesecake:
6 eggs
2 lbs cream cheese
1 lb sour cream
3 oz 85% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250.
For the crust- Mix the crumbs and the butter until damp. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Set aside.
For the cheesecake-
In a large bowl, slowly cream together the chocolate, cocoa, sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. Add the eggs and sour cream, mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan. Allow to sit 2 minutes, then tap the pan on the counter to encourage any air bubbles to come to the surface and burst. Bake 2 hours or until the surface is mostly set- the middle inch or so might still look not even less set, almost jiggly**. Remove to the counter and run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm. Refrigerate leftovers.
*Pulse halved cookies in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand.
**Overbaking or poking the center might result in a crack. Resist the urge. Alternately, cover or cut around the crack.
Note: The intense chocolate flavor eliminates the need for sauces or a topping of any kind, but if you are the gild the lily type, a dollop of whipped cream would not be out of place.
for the crust:
1 1/2 cups of Intensely Dark Chocolate Icebox Cookie crumbs*
6 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled slightly
for the cheesecake:
6 eggs
2 lbs cream cheese
1 lb sour cream
3 oz 85% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250.
For the crust- Mix the crumbs and the butter until damp. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Set aside.
For the cheesecake-
In a large bowl, slowly cream together the chocolate, cocoa, sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. Add the eggs and sour cream, mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan. Allow to sit 2 minutes, then tap the pan on the counter to encourage any air bubbles to come to the surface and burst. Bake 2 hours or until the surface is mostly set- the middle inch or so might still look not even less set, almost jiggly**. Remove to the counter and run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm. Refrigerate leftovers.
*Pulse halved cookies in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand.
**Overbaking or poking the center might result in a crack. Resist the urge. Alternately, cover or cut around the crack.
My thoughts:
This is the ne plus ultra of chocolate cheesecakes. It is not the time for calorie counting, weight-watching, using low fat products or for the faint of heart. Cheesecake is always impressive (despite being relatively uncomplicated to make) to serve to guests and chocolate cheesecake even more so. I generally avoid ordering chocolate flavored cheesecakes in restaurants because I find that they are often just a regular cheesecake with a slight cocoa flavor. That's not a problem with this cheesecake. The chocolate flavor is very strong and is accentuated by the very dark chocolate crust and the tang of the cream cheese and sour cream. The sour cream also keeps the cheesecake from becoming too firm or overly dense. The combination of 85% dark chocolate and cocoa result in a complex chocolate flavor that is unlike any I've had in a cheesecake.Note: The intense chocolate flavor eliminates the need for sauces or a topping of any kind, but if you are the gild the lily type, a dollop of whipped cream would not be out of place.
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22 Comments:
Love the name! I should make this for the English Department I work for.
Thanks for sharing the recipes. Is that chocolate sweetened or unsweetened?
Jasmine:
Which chocolate? The recipe calls for cocoa and 85% dark chocolate. I don't understand your question.
Oh my, oh my, oh my! What chocolate bliss awaits me. While the guys are doing their thing during the Super Bowl, I'm curling up with a hot pot of tea, a good book and a slice of this amazing looking cheescake. I can hardly wait to combine my favorite three things into a few hours of pleasure. My mouth is drooling at the prospect.
This is wicked.
MMmmm...cheesecake...my all-time favorite dessert. Chocoholic here:)
Jasmine:
Which chocolate? The recipe calls for cocoa and 85% dark chocolate. I don't understand your question.
Sorry, I was referring to this:
85% dark chocolate
Your cheesecake looks wonderful! Plus this recipe is a 2 for 1, you have to make the cookies first to get the crumbs :)
heart of darkness, i love the name its so metal!
looks absolutely delicious as always!!
Jasmine: I am not quite sure what answer you want. I used 85% dark chocolate. It isn't baking chocolate if that is what you are asking.
Thank you Rachael. :)
a perfect triumph of a chocolate cheesecake! Magnifique!
As Rachel's husband, I can attest to this being the best dessert ever! I am rather picky about cheesecake but this had a wonderfully smooth texture, a very chocolaty flavor, and the homemade cookies she used in the crust made it truly over-the-top. Lucky for me there are leftovers...
I know what I'm making for Valentine's Day now. :-)
Dieting is against my religion. However I worship dessert! This looks yum yum!
omgawwwwddddd. This looks so freaking amazing. I want it with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.
oh! So lovely, and incredibly mouthwatering !! I'll try this, love cheesecakes, thnx for sharing !!
www.zaiqa.net
Oh delicious!
I am making this for a super bowl party today. The paragraph directions do not mention when you put in the sugar. Does it matter? Or maybe I am misreading it.
OMG, I just ruined my whole cheesecake. I grabbed the salt container and put in 2 cups! Our salt and sugar tupperware are the same and trying to rush to get tbis done and in the oven I did not read the labels! I could just scream! I guess I am off to buy a dessert to take to the party at this point. I was even going to take a picture for your site!
Mmmm... I just made the cookies for the crust.. I'm going to make the cheesecake in a bit. So awesome..
Rachel, Congrats on making it into the top 10! Your recipe is a winner. Good luck!
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