Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
2 Tbsp salted butter, melted
4 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
1 Tbsp sugar
Filling
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, full fat
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 Tbsp kahlua
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 Tbsp vanilla
Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp chocolate chips
3 Tbsp corn syrup
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Set all filling ingredients out to come to room temperature
Butter the sides and bottom of a 9” springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired. Set on a baking pan to catch leaks.
Crust: Process the chocolate wafers and 1 Tbsp sugar in a food processor until fine. Add in butter and process for another 30 seconds. Dump into the prepared pan. Press crumbs firmly into pan bottom. Bake for 12-14 minutes and remove from oven to cool.
Turn oven down to 200 degrees.
Filling: You can mix in the food processor if it is at least 7 cups. Otherwise, in a stand mixer, start beating the cream cheese and sugar together. Add in the rest of the ingredient, scraping down the sides occasionally. Pour over the crust and gentle tap to remove any big bubbles.
Bake for 6 hours at 200 degrees. The center of the cake will still jiggle a little. if you want to check a temp, it should be at least 150 degrees.
Transfer the cake pan to wire rack to cool for 2 hours at room temperature. Then refrigerate overnight. Don’t cover when you first put into the fridge.
When ready to serve, remove from pan. The cake can be flipped over on a clean plate to remove the parchment paper.
Ganache: Heat cream in microwave safe bowl 30 seconds at a time until it just comes to a boil. Add in chocolate chips. Let stand for a minute then start stirring until the chocolate is all melted. Add in corn syrup and stir til smooth. Let cool and then pour over cake letting some drizzle down the sides.
I also melted a little white chocolate (1 ounce) and heavy cream (1 Tbsp) to make a decorative drizzle on top.