This week’s new recipe is my take on a delicious triple chocolate baked cheesecake. This one is definitely a celebration cake and is perfect for the festive season. You can easily prepare it ahead of time and have it ready to serve straight from the fridge. It’s also big enough to feed a crowd if you need it to.
The filling has a subtle malty chocolate flavour that compliments the dark cocoa shortbread base and the chocolate ganache perfectly. It’s chocolatey while not tasting too chocolatey.
Now, you will need to make this cake at least a day before serving as it needs to set overnight in the fridge. It’s a great recipe to prepare ahead of time as you can make it up to 2-3 days in advance.
Also, a note on the ‘water-tray method’ that you’ll see written in the cake method. For baked cheesecake recipes I prefer to add a tray of hot water underneath the rack that the cake will sit on. I prefer this method rather than submerging the actual cake tin into a water bath and having to ensure the tin is watertight by using foil, etc. I find it works perfectly and is so much easier.
I hope you love this one. Let me know if you make it @gatherandfeast and feel free to ask me any questions.
Ingredients
2 hours + overnight cooling time 
12-18 Base
- 150g salted butter (10tbs or 1 1/4 sticks for USA), chopped into small pieces
- 70g (1/3 cup) raw sugar/granulated sugar
- 195g (1 1/2 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
- 30g (3 tablespoons) dark dutch processed cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
Filling
- 1250g (44oz) cream cheese
- 200g (1 cup) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 225g (1 cup) raw sugar/granulated sugar
- 5 eggs + 3 egg yolks
- 360g good quality milk chocolate, melted and cooled
Ganache
- 200g (7oz) dark chocolate
- 100g (1/2 cup) sour cream
- Dark dutch processed cacao for dusting
Method
Base
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (fan forced).
- Add the butter to a stand mixer followed by the sugar and vanilla.
- Using the paddle attachment cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined.
- Next, add the flour, cocoa, and salt, and mix to combine. It will take a few minutes for the flour to absorb the butter. The mixture should look similar to damp sand once all of the butter is incorporated into the flour.
- Pour the mixture into a greased and pre-lined 23cm/9inch springform cake tin. Ensure the baking paper sits at least 15cm higher than the edge of the cake tin to allow for the mixture to rise while baking.
- Press the mixture down firmly with a spatula, large spoon, or your hands.
- Bake at 180°C/350°F for 25 minutes.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Leave the oven on for the cheesecake filling.
Filling
- Turn the oven down to 170°C/340°F.
- Add the cream cheese to the stand mixer and using the paddle attachment mix until smooth.
- Add the sugar and mix again to incorporate.
- Next, add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Now add the eggs one at a time while mixing on low speed. Mix well to incorporate and until the mixture is silky smooth. To avoid adding too much air to the cheesecake don’t mix the mixture for too long after the eggs have been added.
- Next, add the melted chocolate and mix to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the cake tin over the cooled baked base.
- Next, fill a separate baking dish with boiling water and place it into the oven on the rack below where the cake will sit.
- Place the cake into the oven on the rack above the hot water and bake for 70 minutes.
- After 70 minutes turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Once cool, place it into the fridge overnight to set.
Ganache
- Gently melt the dark chocolate and sour cream together until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cold cake.
- Using the bottom of a large spoon push the ganache to the edges of the cake.
- Pop the cake back into the fridge to set for 30-60 minutes.
- Finally, dust with dark cocoa powder and serve.
