Home > Desserts > Chocolate Cheesecake Chocolate Cheesecake December 4, 2017 | 129 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. The ultimate rich and fudgy Chocolate Cheesecake has an Oreo cookie base, smooth chocolate interior, and a simple ganache topping. We love cheesecake! Try some of our other cheesecake recipes next: Oreo Cheesecake, vanilla Cheesecake Bars, or these Mini Cheesecakes with a berry topping. Chocolate Cheesecake The few times I tested this Chocolate Cheesecake, it didn’t end well in terms of getting photographs…the boys were far too anxious to wait for a photoshoot. So, to keep the boys from demolishing this Chocolate Cheesecake before I could snap a few photos of it, I laid the boys down for bed and then made it at night and hid it in the fridge. The next morning, I cut a few slices and while I went to grab my camera, the boys had already begun to dig in! I’ve successfully created my own band of little chocolate lovers and I couldn’t be happier about it. This triple chocolate cheesecake is ridiculously rich and a total dream for chocolate lovers. It’s rich, smooth, creamy, and deeply chocolate-y. There are three components in this Chocolate Cheesecake: the crust, cheesecake filling, and chocolate ganache topping. I’ll break down each section below with my top tips for making this recipe. Oreo® crust Thoroughly crush the Oreos. If there are big pieces of the cookies in the crust, it will still taste great, but the cheesecake won’t cut and serve as nicely. I recommend a blender or food processor for crushing the Oreos. If you don’t have one of those devices, you can add all the cookies to a large plastic bag, remove any air from the bag, and break them into crumbs with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Leave the creme filling. There’s no need to separate creme from cookie; the creme adds structure and sweetness to the crust. Measure the crumbs. While it’s easiest to just add a counted amount of Oreos to the blender, there can be a good amount of variation depending on the brand of cookies used. For a fool-proof crust, measure the crumbs instead of counting out cookies. Slightly overfill the measuring cups and then level off the top with the back of a table knife for the perfect measurement. Don’t add hot butter to the crushed cookies. Let the butter cool slightly before mixing the two together to avoid a greasy pie crust. Compress the crust. I like to lightly spritz the back of a flat one-cup measuring cup with cooking spray and then use it to press the crumbs tightly to form a nice, even crust. Bake the crust. To ensure the crust doesn’t get too soft, we bake it before adding the cheesecake filling. While the crust doesn’t need to be cooled completely, we do want it slightly cooled before adding the chocolate cheesecake filling. Chocolate Cheesecake Filling Tips Use room-temperature cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese becomes creamier when it is mixed and it incorporates much better with the other ingredients in this recipe. If your cream cheese is too cold, it tends to stay lumpy and the batter doesn’t fully mix. You’ll also likely be tempted to over beat the batter (which is not good for a cheesecake!) to get rid of the lumps. See “quick tip” below. Use room-temperature eggs: The more even the temperature of the ingredients, the better they will incorporate and the less chance you have for getting cracks in the cheesecake. Don’t overmix the batter: It’s important to mix the cream cheese enough to remove the lumps and to combine the ingredients sufficiently, but overmixing the batter will introduce too much air into the mixture. Too much air causes the cheesecake to rise too quickly in the oven and then fall (and cause cracks in cheesecake). Mix the cheesecake batter at low and consistent speeds: This reduces the risk of adding in too much air which will cause cracks on top. I recommend beating the cheesecake batter in the same direction for the duration of mixing. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature: It might not seem like a big deal to speed up the chilling process of the cheesecake and put it in the fridge right out of the oven, but this will cause condensation to form on top or create cracks in the cheesecake. QUICK TIP Get cream cheese to room temperature quickly: Remove the cream cheese from the packaging and microwave in bursts of 15-20 seconds until it is room temperature (not softened or melted at all). Chocolate Cheesecake Baking Tips Use a springform pan: A springform pan (a pan that has a spring to hold the sides of the pan in place) is the best for cheesecakes. Because of the final texture of the cheesecake it can’t be inverted from a pan (like a typical cake) and so the removable sides of the springform pan make it easy to keep the form and shape of the cheesecake. (Still make sure to generously grease your springform pan first). Wrap the springform pan with foil: Since this chocolate cheesecake bakes in a water bath (I promise it’s easy!) you’ll want to cover the outside in foil (I line it twice in heavy duty foil) to ensure no water from the water bath seeps into the cheesecake. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath: A water bath may sound complicated, but it simply means we put the cheesecake into a larger baking pan that is filled with about an inch of water (similar to how we make creme brulee). Why use a water bath? The water helps to evenly disperse the heat which will help to ensure your cheesecake is evenly baked. You’ll also be able to avoid the cracks in the cheesecake. Chocolate Cheesecake Ganache Topping The ganache adds the perfect finishing flavor touch to the best Chocolate Cheesecake. It’s also nice to have if your cheesecake did develop cracks — cover them up with this ganache and no one is the wiser! Use high-quality milk chocolate for best results. You’ll get both a better melt and better flavor. My favorite for this Chocolate Cheesecake is Ghirardelli® or Guittard®. Cheaper brands can have a waxier content that is far less flavorful and won’t melt into a smooth ganache as nicely. Decorate! If the ganache doesn’t go on glossy and perfect, don’t fret! Add a garnish like chocolate curls, whipped cream, or chocolate candies STORAGE Chocolate Cheesecake Storage This Chocolate Cheesecake with an Oreo crust can stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but after that, it does need to be refrigerated. To store: Place leftover cheesecake slices in an airtight container or individually wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days (the crust softens more every day they are stored). To freeze: Wrap individual cheesecake slices tightly with plastic wrap and then place all the individually wrapped bars in an airtight container. Freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and leave out at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving. QUICK TIP Slice the chocolate cheesecake with a very sharp, hot knife. To get the perfect slices, you’ll want to use a large and very sharp knife. Run the knife under very hot water, dry it off with a kitchen towel, and then make one quick and decisive cut to get a perfect chocolate cheesecake slice. Repeat this process for each cut you make. More Chocolate Desserts Chocolate Covered Oreo Fudge with milk chocolate chips Chocolate Tart with a chocolate ganache topping Hot Chocolate Snack Mix with chocolate-covered marshmallows Chocolate Cake Recipe with triple chocolate frosting Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats with loads of marshmallows FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Chocolate Cheesecake 4.80 from 30 votes - Review this recipe The ultimate rich and fudgy Chocolate Cheesecake has an Oreo cookie base, smooth chocolate interior, and a simple ganache topping. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Chocolate Cheesecake 4.80 from 30 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe The ultimate rich and fudgy Chocolate Cheesecake has an Oreo cookie base, smooth chocolate interior, and a simple ganache topping. Course Dessert, Vegetarian Cuisine American Keyword chocolate cheesecake Prep Time 30 minutes minutes Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes Chilling Time 10 hours hours Total Time 11 hours hours 35 minutes minutes Servings 14 slices Chelsea Lords Calories 599kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $9.34 IngredientsCrust▢ 1-3/4 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (~23-25 cookies) such as Oreos▢ 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedFilling▢ 4 packages (8 oz. EACH) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature▢ 1 pkg (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips▢ 1 and 1/2 cups white granulated sugar▢ 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder▢ 4 large eggs▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt▢ 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extractGanache▢ 1 cup semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate chips (we like milk chocolate best)▢ 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butterOPTIONAL Topping▢ 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream▢ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extractUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsPREP: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Wrap a well-greased 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil. Secure foil around the pan.CRUST: In a small bowl, combine Oreo cookie crumbs and sugar and then stir in butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the greased and prepared springform pan -- don't go up the sides-- just press into the bottom of the pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.CHEESECAKE FILLING: In a very large bowl, beat the ROOM TEMPERATURE cream cheese and sugar until smooth at consistent low-medium speeds (beating in the same direction). Be careful to not overbeat or beat at high speeds -- this will cause the cheesecake to rise, then fall and crack. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the melted and cooled chocolate and cocoa powder into the cheesecake filling mixture. Beat just to combine.EGGS, VANILLA, AND SALT: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the eggs. Add them to the mixture along with the salt and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until JUST combined. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of this mixture on top of the Oreo crust in the springform pan. Smooth the top of the cheesecake with the spatula. Place the springform pan in a large baking pan and add 1 inch of BOILING water to the pan surrounding the springform pan.BAKE: Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for 55-70 minutes or until center is just set and top is not shiny. Cheesecake should ever so slightly jiggle in the very center (it will firm as it chills). If it jiggles a lot, it needs more time, check again in 5 minutes. Once fully baked, turn off the oven and fully open oven door. Pull the oven tray holding the cheesecake out and let the cheesecake stand there (still in water bath) to cool for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove from water bath, carefully remove foil, and let stand at room temperature for 30 more minutes on a wire rack (we're slowly lowering the temperature of the cheesecake to avoid cracks). After 30 minutes, transfer to the fridge (covered) and chill for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight).GANACHE: Place chocolate in a small bowl with the butter and heavy cream. Microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Let stand until it has cooled to room temperature before topping the cheesecake with the ganache. Spoon the ganache into the center of the cheesecake (keep it about an inch away from the edge) and smooth the ganache with the back of the spoon. Cover ganache-topped cheesecake and place in the fridge for an hour (or until the ganache is firmly set).OPTIONAL WHIPPED CREAM: When ready to serve, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form and then spoon or pipe the whipped cream over the cheesecake slices. SERVE: To get the perfect slices, you'll want to use a large, very sharp knife. Run the knife under very hot water, dry it off with a kitchen towel, and then make one quick and decisive cut. Repeat this process for each cut you make. STORAGE: Chocolate Cheesecake can stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but after that, it needs to be refrigerated. To store: Place leftover cheesecake slices in an airtight container or individually wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days (the crust softens more every day the cheesecake is stored). To freeze: Wrap individual cheesecake slices tightly with plastic wrap and then place all the individually wrapped slices in an airtight container. Freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and leave out at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving. Video Recipe NotesCheesecake Tips & Troubleshooting: Use room-temperature cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese becomes creamier when it is mixed and it incorporates much better with the other ingredients in this recipe. If your cream cheese is too cold, it tends to stay lumpy and the batter doesn’t fully mix. You’ll also likely be tempted to overbeat the batter (which is not good for a cheesecake!) to get rid of the lumps. Use room-temperature eggs: The more even the temperature of the ingredients, the better they will incorporate and the less chance you have of getting cracks in the cheesecake. Don't overmix the batter: It’s important to mix the cream cheese enough to remove the lumps and to combine the ingredients sufficiently, but overmixing the batter will introduce too much air into the mixture. Too much air causes the cheesecake to rise too quickly in the oven and then fall (and cause cracks in cheesecake). Mix the cheesecake batter at low and consistent speeds: This reduces the risk of adding in too much air which will cause cracks on top. I recommend beating the cheesecake batter in the same direction for the duration of mixing. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature: It might not seem like a big deal to speed up the chilling process of the cheesecake and put it in the fridge right out of the oven, but this will cause condensation to form on top or create cracks in the cheesecake. Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 565IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 276mg | Iron: 4mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? 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This looks UNREAL! Can’t wait to try! My favorite cheesecake is raspberry white chocolate cheesecake!! Reply
My favorite cheesecake is New York Style Cheesecake, however, your Chocolate Cheesecake looks delicious! Reply
Please, I would love to have a pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Never could find one. I would appreciate having one if you know of one. Thanks Reply
I just made this pumpkin cheesecake and it was delicious! I wasn’t the biggest fan of three crust for some reason but the cheesecake was amazing. Reply
One of my favorite Cheesecakes is a Butter Pecan Cheesecake! Thanks for sharing this Chocolate Cheesecake recipe, it looks insanely delicious!! Reply
Triple chocolate cheesecake is definitely my favorite! Also – for the chocolate cookie base – you can use Oreos, right? And thank you for stipulating full fat cream cheese. I tried to use fat-free cream cheese to make a cheesecake once and let’s just say it did not end well. Reply
https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/pumpkin-caramel-cheesecake-bars-with-a-streusel-topping/ Enjoy! Reply
Chocolate Mousse cheesecake is my favorite, but followed closely by lots of others. 🙂 I love cheesecake. Reply
I will be making this for my holiday table! My favorite cheesecake flavor is a traditional, authentic NY cheesecake. I suppose I’m a purist when it comes to my cheesecake!! Reply
Triple chocolate cheesecake is my favorite. Thanks for the chance to win such an amazing giveaway. Reply
This cheesecake looks really good. I love all cheesecake but my favorite is Lemon cheesecake with blueberries on top. cshell090869 at aol dot com Reply
My favorite kind of cheesecake would have to be cookies and cream cheesecake topped with whipped cream! Reply
It is my son’s birthday and he loves Cheesecake and we love the Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake that I make for his birthday every year. Reply
We love Strawberry Cheesecake. My son has it every year for his birthday and it is his favorite dessert! Reply
I love chocolate cheesecake! Not chocolate with caramel, or sea salt, or fruit, or whatever else. Just pure, amazing chocolate. Reply
First off I am a cheesecake addict. It was my wedding cake, I have written papers on it, and have made my own recipes, but by far my favorite is peach cheesecake! Peach flavor throughout and fresh peaches on top. It is truly heaven. Reply
My favorite cheesecake is probably key lime or I do love raspberry white chocolate too. Mmm cheesecake Reply
This looks amazing! And with an Oreo crust? Sign me up! My favorite cheesecake is lemon, my brother makes an amazing one with a little lemon meringue on top ? Reply
My favorite would have to be something fruity like raspberry or strawberry. This looks delicious! Reply
I would say this Chocolate chocolate but to pick a different kind that I love just as much Raspberry!! Mmm mmm good!! Oh how about chocolate and Raspberry. I haven’t had that before I bet would be define! Reply
This looks incredible! Cheesecake is my very favorite dessert but if I had to pick a flavor it would be vanilla bean or lemon raspberry! Reply
I think I may have to try this recipe, looks delicious! My favorite cheesecake flavor has to be Oreo, hands down! Reply
So I have to pick JUUUST ONE ??? Can’t go wrong with cheesecake but if I must I’d have to say definitely red velvet cheesecake! ? Haven’t made the recipe just yet but it looks YUMMY! Reply
Yum! My fave cheesecake is chocolate + peanut butter! (Adams PB from Cheesecake Factory get some me every time) Reply
My absolute favorite cheesecake is a plain cheesecake with graham cracker crust, and strawberries on top. Yummy! Reply
This chocolate cheesecake looks delicous! I’ll have to try this! As for my favorite cheesecake, I love this pretzel caramel cheesecake that I make! 🙂 🙂 Reply
I love cheesecakes and so does my husband but my favorite has to be chocolate mousse with pecans and Carmel? Reply
My favorite cheesecake is my sisters homemade cheesecake with fresh rasberry sauce, but yours looks amazing! We are definitely going to have to try this asap! Reply
My favorite is dark chocolate cheesecake! can’t wait to try out your recipe! amy [at] uTry [dot] it Reply
Yum..while I do love @godiva chocolate..my favorite chocolate brand…my very favorite cheesecake is original plain with option cheeries sometimes. Love it and make every Christmas with @phillycreamcheese. Reply
#SweepstakesEntry- comment Sadly, I’ve only ever had regular New York style cheesecake, which I do like ! would love to try your recipe for the chocolate cheesecake- looks mouthwatering! Kathryn C [email protected] Reply
my #SweepstakesEntry tweet: https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/946167212196458496 Kathryn C [email protected] Reply
I made a cheesecake similar to this for Christmas. Wish I had the helpful tips that you gave. I think I over beat my cream cheese. LOVE Chocolate. Maybe I’ll try your recipe for New Years Eve. Reply
Cheesecake seems to be soft and not done. Used butter knife to loosen from springform pan and soft mixture on knife Reply
Thanks for sharing! I had some leftover peanut butter cookies that I had make a few nights ago, so I used them for the crust. Had a great peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. Your tips were super helpful! Reply
I’m in the uk and will be making this cheesecake this weekend. Could you please convert the amounts of stuff needed to uk measurements. Thanks Reply
You have a five star rating on this but yet not one person who wrote a review actually has made the cheese cake that’s not a real review. Reply
Sorry Debbie, my comment approval on the back-end only lets me approve a comment, I don’t have access to remove or change ratings. If you try this I’d love to hear your review! 🙂 Reply
Really. I ACTUALLY made this recipe and can truthfully give it a 5 star rating. For the life of me, I cannot understand the basis of rating a recipe by ? reading it or ? looking at the pictures? I followed the recipe to a T and the tips as well. I was, however, afraid of water seeping in if I used through foil pieces and used slow cooker liners instead. I got this tip from another site and they work well. Final words: Pure rich chocolate decadence. Reply
Reviews of recipes are supposed to be done AFTER YOU’VE MADE THE RECIPE. Sheesh. So many people giving 5 stars after not even having tried this. Reply
Made this for Thanksgiving, and it was a delicious, huge hit! Do you know how I might be able to make it adding grand marnier (as in a chocolate grand marnier cheesecake)? Thank you! Reply
SO happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks for the comment Eva! 🙂 I wish I could be of more help, but baking can be finicky sometimes and without testing myself I’m really not sure how adding grand marnier (or how much to add) would affect the cheesecake. Wish I could be of more help! Reply
I have made part of the cheesecake recipe and it looks amazing. Will be making the ganache a little later. I did have a question. Can I freeze it for a day after I add the ganache? If so, does it thaw easily? Reply
The recipe calls for cocoa powder. Would it make an difference if I substitute it for Dutch cocoa powder instead to add an richer taste? Reply
The cheesecake is excellent and very smooth. I followed the directions exactly and it came out just right. Getting the the cream cheese and eggs to room temperature makes a difference. Will make again! Reply
I made this recipe last weekend for my grandmother’s birthday. I did the filling exactly as above, but I did a variation by topping with homemade raspberry mousse and raspberry gelee. This was my first attempt at ever making a baked cheesecake and it turned out AMAZING. I thought I didn’t even like cheesecake, but this was absolutely decadent; unctuous! The extra time is absolutely worth it. Best chocolate cheesecake I’ve ever tasted. Reply
Fantastic perfect for a chocoholic. I have made this at least 6 times. It is my favorite, and I make a lot of cheesecakes. It is so beautiful most people think I bought it. It freezes beautifully. Perfect to make a head for Christmas or thanksgiving dinner. The only change I made was to use chocolate graham crackers for the crust. I thought Oreos with the filling would be too sweet. Reply
Yay! I’m so thrilled to hear this chocolate cheesecake has been a hit 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment and review 🙂 Reply
This looks fabulous, and I want to make it soon. One question: when I blend the Oreos, do I leave in the white filling, or do I scrape it off off the cookies before blending. Thanks so much! Reply
Thanks so much Tania! You throw the whole Oreo cookie in, leaving the white creme part! Hope you enjoy! 🙂 Reply
I’m currently making this recipe but I’m not sure when to remove the springform sides of the pan? #5 above is not clear. Can you help? Reply
This is the best chocolate cheesecake I’ve ever eaten! And it looks so professional! Thanks for the awesome recipe Chelsea! Reply
