Killer Chocolate Cheesecake

By khojnicki

Ingredients

• Crust:
• One 9 oz. package chocolate wafers, broken into large pieces
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 1 bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 c unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• Three 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 c sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 c sour cream at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9" springform pan and wrap the outside tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Have a roasting pan ready and put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.

To make the crust: pulse the chocolate wafers in a food processor until finely ground. With the motor running, slowly add the butter, and process just until blended. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan.

Bake the crust for 8-10 mins, until it is set. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling: melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2" of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high, in a medium deep bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the salt. Beat in the chocolate mixture just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl again.

Transfer the filling to the springform pan. Set the pan in the roasting pan, place it in the oven, and carefully pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake for 45 mins, or until the center is almost set but still slightly jiggly; do not overbake. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the water bath for 15 mins.

Remove the springform pan from the water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack, then remove the foil and refrigerate the cheesecake, loosely covered, until thoroughly chilled, at least 12 hours, or overnight.

To serve, let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 20 mins. Remove the pan sides, smooth the sides with a table knife and cut into wedges.