Deep Chocolate Cheesecake

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  • 12

Ingredients

  • Crust:
  • 24 chocolate wafer cookies (from one 9 oz pkg)
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • Filling:
  • 1 (9.7 oz bar) 70% cocoa bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 (8 oz pkgs) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbs sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 4 large eggs
  • Topping:
  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 6 oz (70%) cocoa bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • Bittersweet chocolate curls

Preparation

Step 1

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 9 inch springform pan with 3 inch high sides. Blend cookies in processor until finely ground; blend in sugar. Add melted butter and process until well blended. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
Stir chopped chocolate in a metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool chocolate until lukewarm, but still pourable. Blend cream cheese, sugar and cocoa in processor until smooth. Blend in eggs 1 at a time. mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour filling over crust; smooth top. Bake until center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Chill overnight.

Topping:
Stir cream, 6 oz chocolate and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. pour over center of cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks. Chill until topping is set, about 1 hour.
Release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Top with chocolate curls. Let stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.