Have Your Chocolate Cheesecake And Eat It Too

I'm sure every baker is equally proud of each baked goodie that comes out of his oven, but there will always be that one dessert he will consider his best work yet. His masterpiece, or his signature dessert, if you will.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no pro. I don't bake a lot. The first batch of cookies I made back in 5th grade? Hard as rocks. Although I have improved a great deal since then, I'm still no expert. But Mrs. Fields or no Mrs. Fields, I'm telling you-- with all biases aside: I do make one hell of a chocolate cheesecake.

I'd like to share to you this recipe I got from the magazine Martha Stewart Living. In that issue, she featured various cheesecakes like the classic Baked New York, Frozen Espresso, Raspberry Swirl, Citrus Ricotta, and even the No-Bake. Being such an avid fan of the deepest darkest chocolate, I just had to try the Chocolate Cheesecake recipe.

Well, technically, the recipe is Martha's but taking into consideration the few adjustments I did here and there, I can call it my own now...At least that's what I tell myself. :P













Photo by Elaine


NEEN'S CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE-- Haha.
Serves 8-10

1 cup finely ground chocolate wafer cookies (5 ounces; about 22 cookies)
***note: chocolate wafer cookies is just a posh baker's lingo for Oreo.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
***note: I added a little more to make the cheesecake richer.
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
***note: I'm loyal to Philadelphia.
Pinch of salt
¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
***note: I only added around 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Depends on your preference, really.
3 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature


(1) Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together cookie crumbs, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up 1 inch on sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
(2) Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
(3) Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add remaining cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add salt; mix until combined. Add sour cream, cocoa, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate; mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix). Pour cream cheese filling over crust.
(4) Bake until set but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around edge of cake.


And here's what the critics have got to say on my take on Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cheesecake:

One forkful melted into a velvety mass accompanied by a burst of real deep chocolate. The sweetness from the chocolate was evenly tempered by the sourcream. The crust was thick enough and even crunchy like, it tasted like it had roasted nuts in it, but it didn't. It left me in a subliminal state. Even my brother, who's not really a dessert person, couldn't resist a second helping. He aptly described it as "a cross between a chocolate bar and chocolate ice cream."

- Elaine, excerpt taken from "The Only Chocolate Cheesecake For Me," dated March 13, 2006 from her blog Just Desserts

Undoubtedly THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE I have ever tasted! So heavenly!

- Margarita

When all else fails, there's always delusion.

- Conan O'Brien

Okaaay...I added the last one just because I'm a HUGE Conan O'Brien fan.
Aaand...I don't really know anyone named Margarita...