Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

By ezunich

Ingredients

• For Crust:
• Process:
• 2 sleeves chocolate graham crackers, 18 crackers (2 1/4 cups crumbs)
• 1 tbs sugar
• Pinch of table salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted (8 Tbsp.)
• For cheesecake:
• Melt:
• 12 oz. bittersweet bar chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• Beat:
• 1 lb. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• For the ganache:
• Heat:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (3/4 cup)

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°.

For the crust, process graham crackers, sugar, and salt in a food processor until fine. Drizzle in melted butter and process until combined. Press crumbs into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes; set aside.

For the cheesecake, melt chocolate with 2 Tbsp. butter and espresso powder in a double boiler; set aside to cool slightly.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add melted chocolate mixture to batter and beat until combined.

Fold whipped cream and vanilla into batter, then pour into crust; bake until edges are set but center is still jiggly, 40-45 minutes. Press crust mixture on the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan with the back of a spoon.

Turn oven off; leave cheesecake in oven with door closed, 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Cool completely; cover and chill at least 4 hours, or overnight.

For the ganache, heat 1/2 cup cream in a microwave in a heatproof bowl on high until boiling, 1-2 minutes. Add chocolate chips and let sit 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Cool ganache, 5 minutes. Drizzle cheesecake with ganache, then top with fresh raspberries and chocolate curls, if desired.

To cut cheesecake, remove sides from the pan, then slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each slice.