In the kitchen with Elisa
The Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake
Super creamy and very chocolatey cheesecake with vanilla cream & fresh berries
Get ready to get seduced by this ultimate chocolate cheesecake! :) And don´t forget to let me know what you thought about it in the comments.
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What is your take on cheesecakes? I must admit I am ABSOLUTELY craaazy about cheesecakes and I could eat them every day, if only I wouldn´t get this stupid guilt feeling for eating too much sweets :D Lately I have been getting many ideas of different cheesecake flavours and so I am bringing them alive. If you have not seen my Creamy Lemon Cheesecake with Meringue Clouds yet, or my New York Cheesecake with Cherries or the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, you really need to check those out as well, as they are all YUM!
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I am not a big fan of all kinds of sweets (candies), but I do love chocolate. So you wouldn´t see me in the sweets isle in the supermarket, unless I was getting some chocolate. And when it comes to chocolate, it has got to be dark chocolate, like 70% cacao or more. That is why there has got to be a delicious chocolate cheesecake in my arsenal and so I started testing. First time I was testing this recipe I added some flour to the filling, very little, but still. I did that because I do it with all of my other cheesecakes. However, I was not 100% satisfied with the creaminess of the cheesecake and so I decided to give it a go and try not adding the flour on my second go with this recipe. I did this because I know that chocolate, especially dark chocolate, acts as a setting agent itself and so I was just hoping that would be enough. Oh my, was it worth it! The result was so creamy, I fell instantly in love with it (see the end of the video below for some real proof of this heavenly creaminess).
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A very important flavour component in this recipe is the dark chocolate, so do get some good quality chocolate for making this cheesecake. Also I have been making my cheesecakes lately using Philadelphia Greek Style cream cheese and compared to any other brand that I have used previously, I think, it gives the best result. I do not like to promote or focus on any single brand, and also you can always try for yourself, but that is what I have noticed lately.
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I like chocolate accompanied with fresh berries and also I thought the whipped cream will balance out the chocolate flavour a little, so I also added some of that on top. If you prefer it just as it is you can leave both out or you can serve the cream and berries separately on the side for those wishing to add some on top.
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Happy Baking lovelies!
Step by Step Video
RECIPE
The Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake
Super creamy & very chocolatey cheesecake with vanilla cream & fresh berries
​INGREDIENTS
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320g digestive cookies (I use the whole wheat ones) or butter cookies
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50g cacao (unsweetened)
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130g butter
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4pkg (175g each) greek style philadelphia cream cheese or any other similar cream cheese
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150g sugar
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2 eggs + 2 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs)
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200g smetana or sour cream (20% fat)
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200g good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao)
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50g good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao)
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50g whipping cream (30% fat)
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100-200g whipping cream
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1tsp vanilla paste
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fresh berries of your choice
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DIRECTIONS
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Crush the cookies in a blender or put them into a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin. Make sure you don´t have any big cookie pieces left in your crumb. Add the cacao powder to the cookie crumb and mix for a little.
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Melt the butter and allow it to cool.
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Add the cooled butter to the cookie crumb and mix well until you have a smooth paste like consistency. You can test whether the cookie crumb is ready by taking a little of it into your hand and squeezing it together, if it forms a ball that sticks together it is ready, if it crumbles and falls apart add some more melted butter. (See video)
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Cover a 20cm baking tin with parchment paper. Take about half of the cookie base and press it into the bottom of the baking tin so that you have a smooth base for the cheesecake. Then add the rest of the cookie crumb along the edges of the baking tin and press against the walls of the baking tin to form the sides of the cheesecake. (See video for detailed instructions)
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Refrigerate the base for the time you are preparing the filling.
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Chop 200g of dark chocolate into small pieces and melt in a microwave or in a hot water bath. Then leave aside to cool lightly.
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To make the filling make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Add cream cheese and the sugar to a large bowl and whisk with a hand mixer for one minute.
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Add eggs to the cream cheese filling one at a time, mixing for at least one minute in between additions.
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Add the smetana/sour cream and mix for another minute.
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Start adding the melted chocolate slowly while whisking on low, then continue mixing on medium to high for one minute.
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Take the base out of the refrigerator and pour the filling over the base. Smoothen the top and tap the cake tin onto the table a couple of times to release any air bubbles.
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Turn the oven to 180°C bottom top heat. Then lower the temperature to 160°C just before putting the cake in the oven. Boil about 1.5 liters of water, put an oven proof casserole dish in the oven and pour the hot water into it. Then add an oven rack on top of it and place the cheese cake there.
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Bake the cheesecake for 60-70 minutes, before turning off the oven. Check by shaking the cheesecake lightly, that the cheesecake has set from the sides. You want the sides to be set and not shaky at this point, but the middle to still be a little shaky. Then open the oven door just slightly (you can put two oven mittens in between the oven door) and allow the cheesecake to still be in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool completely before cooling it in the refrigerator. Preferably cool the cheesecake in the refrigerator over night before serving.
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To make the chocolate layer, chop 50g of chocolate. Then you can either add the 50g of cream to the chocolate and melt it in a heatproof bowl in a microwave (you want to do this in short 15 second intervals checking when the chocolate has melted and then stop heating it) or you can alternatively heat the cream on the stove until it starts steaming (do not boil), then add it on top of the chocolate, leave aside for 30 seconds and then give it a mix until the chocolate has completely melted. Allow the chocolate to slightly cool for couple of minutes before pouring it on top of the cheesecake.
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Pour the slightly cooled chocolate layer on top of the cheesecake and smoothen it out with a spatula. Then if you have time allow it to set in room temperature or if you are in a rush then you can also cool it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes until the chocolate has set.
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Whisk the cream and the vanilla paste until stiff and transfer to a piping bag with a closed star nozzle.
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Decorate the cheesecake with cream on top and finally decorate with the fresh berries of your choice.
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TIP. Before serving the cheesecake take it out from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving as that is when the cheesecake is the creamiest.
