Photo by David Tisue
Chocolate Cheesecake, one of my most treasured recipes.

By David Tisue

The Surveyor

Cheesecake and I have had a long history. One of my first jobs in college was at a restaurant where they soon discovered I could bake and had me transform their meager dessert menu from one rather boring Italian cake to one with at least four different desserts each week. I designed the menu to have variation, but there was always a cheesecake. Sometimes the cheesecake wouldn’t sell and I would bring back the leftovers to my college buddies. We would engorge ourselves with all things cheesecake. At the time, cheesecake was a fad and every restaurant had its specialty. I made many flavors, including peanut butter, praline and grasshopper. However, the one that sold the most was the good old classic, chocolate. Chocolate cheesecake is plain in its own way and not adorned with crazy ideas like candy bars or Oreo cookies. The flavor stands all on its own. But this chocolate cheesecake would outsell the other cheesecakes every time.

Many recipes call for baking a cheesecake in a water bath. But the original recipe for this chocolate cheesecake has never called for one. It bakes up well without one, though it may crack. If you let the cheesecake cool in the oven slowly, you will have a beautiful cheesecake. I prop the oven open just a crack with a wooden spoon and let the cheesecake slowly cool. One of the other tips I have learned in making cheesecake is not to overbeat the batter. Adding too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise too high and fall, causing cracks. This is a dense cheesecake, not a light and fluffy one. This chocolate cheesecake has some espresso or strong coffee added to it to enhance the flavor. You don’t taste the coffee. But it enhances this cheesecake and should not be omitted.

The choice of chocolate also makes a difference. Choose one you like. A dark Belgian one is perfect. You can use chocolate chips in a pinch, but you want to have good-tasting chocolate to really make this cheesecake incredible. The chocolate wafers for the crust are the Famous Chocolate wafers by Nabisco. I have been able to find them at almost any grocery store. The wafers make a unique crust that is fantastically dark and almost fudgy. This is one of the most treasured recipes I have. It is very dense and intensely chocolate in all the right ways. Your friends and family will love you for making it.

Chocolate Cheesecake
Dark rich, and decadent, this cheesecake is intense chocolate at its best.
Crust
9 oz. dark chocolate wafers, about 2 cups crumbs
4 tablespoons butter, melted, ¼ cup
Filling
1/2 cup strong coffee or a double shot of espresso and enough water to make ½ cup
2 cups 12 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate or semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
3 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature, 1/1/2 cups
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Whipped cream and berries, if desired, for garnish. I highly suggest whipped cream, as it cuts the richness of the chocolate.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9” springform pan.
To make the crust
Crush, grind, or otherwise pulverize the chocolate wafers. This is a great way to use your food processor. But you can use a rolling pin, too. Add the melted butter and process briefly, or if doing this by hand, toss the crumbs with the butter until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

Press the moist crumbs into the bottom and partway up the sides of the prepared pan. The cheesecake batter will go above the pressed sides, so make the top edge even around the pan to make it beautiful. Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips of butter.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Then, remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool as you make the filling.

Reduce the oven heat to 350°F. Combine the coffee or espresso and chocolate chips in a small saucepan, microwave-safe bowl or large cup. Stir frequently at 30-second intervals in the microwave or stove top, depending on the container and stir until the chips melt and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set the mixture aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar at low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat briefly, just until smooth. You can do this by hand with a whisk if the cream cheese is very soft.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each one.

Stir in the vanilla, then the flour.

Add the chocolate/espresso mixture, beating slowly until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl; beat briefly, just until smooth.

Pour the batter over the cooled cookie crumb crust in the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet, making it easier to safely get the cake in and out of the oven.

Bake the cake (remember, the oven temperature should be 350°F) for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted 1” from the outside edge comes out clean. A digital thermometer, inserted at the same point, should read 175°F. The center may not look set; that’s OK. You want this to be slightly underdone as it will continue to cook as it cools.

Turn off the oven, crack the door open several inches, and allow the cake to cool in the oven for one hour. You can also prop your oven door open with just a crack with a wooden spoon.

Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a rack to finish cooling. Cover the cake when it’s completely cool and refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.

Serve this rich cheesecake in small slices, with whipped cream and berries if desired.