Skip to content
German Pastry Chef, home

Back to the recipe

Chocolate Cheesecake

Prep
10 min
Bake
40 min
Total
50 min
Makes
12 slices

Ingredients

Crust

  • 7 oz200 gbutter cookiesWhole wheat. Plain, crisp German butter biscuits, often crushed for cake bases or layered in sheet cakes. In the US use petit beurre style butter cookies; for crumb crusts, graham crackers or vanilla wafers. In the UK use rich tea biscuits or petit beurre; for bases, digestive biscuits.
  • 6 tbsp80 gunsalted butterMelted. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 1 tbspunsweetened cocoa powderPure unsweetened cocoa powder for baking. In the US use unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix); in the UK, cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate).

Cheesecake filling

  • 12 oz350 gcouverture chocolateBittersweet. Couverture chocolate is chocolate with a high cocoa butter content that melts smoothly for coating and glazing. In the US use good-quality baking chocolate bars or couverture wafers (not chocolate chips); in the UK, couverture chocolate or a good-quality cooking chocolate bar.
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp200 gheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 21 oz600 gcream cheeseA soft, full-fat fresh cheese. In the US use full-fat cream cheese; in the UK, full-fat soft cheese.
  • 1 cup200 ggranulated sugar
  • 3large eggs

Method

Crust

  1. Line the bottom of a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan with parchment paper.

  2. Grind the cookies into fine crumbs, then mix them with the cocoa powder and butter.

  3. Tip the crumbs into the pan, spread them out evenly and press them down firmly.

Cheesecake filling

  1. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the coarsely chopped couverture chocolate. Let it stand for two minutes, then stir thoroughly until smooth.

  2. If you like, take out about 2 ½ tbsp (40 g) of the mixture and set it aside for the topping.

  3. Stir the cream cheese, sugar & eggs into the chocolate cream mixture until everything is creamy.

  4. Pour the filling into the springform pan and smooth the top.

  5. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (170°C) convection (fan) for about 40 minutes.

  6. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door propped open, then, if you like, spread the reserved chocolate glaze over the top.

  7. The cheesecake is best served chilled. If you like, decorate it with fruit and powdered sugar (very finely ground sugar for icings and dusting; in the US also called confectioners' sugar, in the UK icing sugar).

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/chocolate-cheesecake/