Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

A Chocolate Cheesecake is a real showstopper that combines three delicious layers

of chocolate. The first layer is a sandy textured chocolate crust made with crushed
chocolate wafers mixed with a little melted butter. The middle layer is a chocolate
cheesecake made with a knock-out combination of melted chocolate, cream cheese,
sugar, eggs, and sour cream. It is sinfully chocolately yet with a delightfully tangy
flavor that has a texture that will remind you of a thick, silky smooth chocolate
mousse. Once baked, cooled, and chilled, the final smooth and shiny chocolate layer
is added. It is a mixture of cream and chocolate (a ganache) that makes you think
you are eating a chocolate truffle. 

What is so nice about cheesecakes is that they are quite easy to prepare. For the
chocolate crust all you need to do is process the chocolate wafers in your food
processor and then add some melted butter to bind the crumbs together. You can use
either homemade chocolate wafers (recipe here) or you can use a commercial brand.
The chocolate cheesecake layer is simply a matter of beating together room
temperature cream cheese, sugar, melted chocolate, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
The recipe was tested using full fat cream cheese, although I did use reduced fat
sour cream. Now the type and brand of chocolate you use for both the cheesecake
layer and top layer of ganache will determine the taste of both layers. So make sure
you use a good quality chocolate that you enjoy eating out of hand. When choosing a
chocolate, always look for one that has a lovely shiny finish (a sign that the
chocolate was cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time) and one
that has that wonderful 'snap' when you break it into pieces. Bittersweet and semi-
sweet chocolates contain at least 35% chocolate liquor in North America. The best
chocolates can contain upwards of 50% chocolate liquor. The higher the content of
chocolate liquor, the more rich and flavorful the chocolate. Keep in mind that
bittersweet chocolate generally has a stronger, more bitter chocolate flavor than
semi-sweet chocolate. That is because semi-sweet chocolate contains more sugar,
however, because the amount of sugar is not regulated, what one manufacturer calls
bittersweet may be called semi-sweet by another manufacturer. That is why tasting
the chocolate is so important. Some popular brands I like are Callebaut, Guittard,
Lindt, and Scharffen Berger.

Finally, although I have talked about the pitfalls of making a cheesecake before, I
think it bears repeating. There seems to be two main problems with making
cheesecakes, cracking and determining when to pull the cheesecake from the
oven. First, let's talk about cracks on the surface of a baked cheesecake, as this is a
common problem that is caused either by over beating the batter and/or by too much
moisture being lost as the cheesecake bakes (over baking). In order to prevent
cracks make sure to beat the ingredients at low speed because we do not want to
incorporate a lot of air into the batter. All we want to do is to beat the ingredients
until they are nice and smooth. As far as over baking of cheesecakes, this is a
common problem made especially hard with a chocolate cheesecake. Use the baking
time as a guide only as ovens do tend to vary. The thing to remember is that you
want the cheesecake to be firm but, if you shake the pan gently, it should still
wobble a little, and the center will still look a little wet. For even though the center
may not look fully baked, once it cools it will firm up and be the correct
consistency. Cheesecakes are cakes that should not to be eaten straight away as
they need to cool and then be refrigerated for several hours, preferably overnight, so
the flavors have time to blend and the texture becomes nice and firm. 

Cheesecakes store very well and can be frozen. To freeze, place the cooled
cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the
cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a
freezer bag.  Seal and return to freezer. It can be frozen for several months. Thaw the
uncovered cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight. The best way I have found to cut
a cheesecake is to use a long knife that has been warmed in hot water. To do this,
dip your knife in hot water, wipe the knife dry, and then cut the cheesecake. To cut
another slice, again dip the knife in hot water, dry, and cut.
 
Chocolate Cheesecake: Butter or spray with a non stick Chocolate Cheesecake:
vegetable spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. Place
the spring form pan on a larger baking pan to catch any Crust:
leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to
350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of oven. 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) chocolate wafer
crumbs
Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the chocolate
wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly 1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted
over the bottom of the spring form pan. Cover and
refrigerate while you make the filling.
Filling:
For Filling: Melt the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl
placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until 12 ounces (340 grams) semi-sweet or
smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand 24 ounces (680 grams) (3 - 8 ounces
mixer) beat the cream cheese, on medium low speed, until packages) full fat cream cheese, room
smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the melted temperature
chocolate and beat until fully incorporated. Add the eggs,
one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until 3 large eggs, room temperature
thoroughly incorporated. Remove the crust from the
refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.

1 cup (240 ml) full fat or light sour cream,

Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until firm yet the center of
room temperature
the cheesecake will still look a little wet and
wobbly. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or
spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the Ganache:
cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it
cools). Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and 4 ounces (115 grams) semi-sweet or
refrigerate for a few hours before covering with the bittersweet chocolate, chopped
ganache.
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel
bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, room
medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the temperature
boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a
few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and then pour
over cheesecake. With an offset spatula or back of a  
spoon, evenly spread the ganache over the top of the
cheesecake. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several  
hours or overnight. This cheesecake tastes best after being
refrigerated for at least a day.

Serves at 12 - 16 people.

To freeze:  Place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan

and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake
from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and
place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer. Can be
frozen for several months. Thaw uncovered cheesecake in
the refrigerator overnight.

BAGIR kelas 5A