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5 from 1 vote

Black Forest chocolate cheesecake

A rich chocolate cheesecake, with an Oreo cookie crust, and topped with a homemade cherry topping.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Resting Time5 hours
Total Time7 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 696kcal

Ingredients

Cherry topping:

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) water
  • 4 cups cherries fresh or frozen
  • 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons kirsch liqueur optional

Crust:

  • 24 Oreo cookies
  • 5 Tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter melted

Filling

  • ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
  • 2 cups (340 g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 24 ounces (3 packages) full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened or Dutch cocoa powder
  • Whipped cream for topping

Instructions

Make the cherry topping:

  • In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch.
  • In a medium saucepan, stir together the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch/water mixture. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring continuously and allow to thicken, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in kirsch liquor if using, allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the graham cracker crust:

  • Prepare oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃).
  • Make the crust. In your food processor pulse the cookies together until they are fine crumbs. You can also do this in your stand mixer, or place cookies in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. If doing this by hand with a rolling pin, transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl.
  • Add butter and bake. Add butter and mix until combined. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 8-0 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the chocolate cheesecake:

  • Make the filling. Combine the heavy cream and chocolate in a small saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat, stirring frequently, until the chips melt and the mixture is smooth. If doing this in the microwave, heat for 30 seconds at 50% power, stirring in between.
  • Beat cream cheese and sugar. In a large mixing bowl (I like to use my stand mixer with my paddle attachment) beat together the cream cheese and sugar at low speed, until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat until smooth. You don’t want to continue to mix the cream cheese at this point or it will incorporate too much air and cause your cheesecake to crack so mix briefly.
  • Add eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
  • Add vanilla and cocoa. Stir in the vanilla, then the cocoa powder and beat to combine.
  • Add melted chocolate mixture. Add the chocolate/cream mixture, beating on low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bow with a spatula; and beat to combine briefly, just until smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the crust. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake the cake (at 350oF) for 45 to 50 minutes. The center may not look set quite yet but will continue to bake up as it cools.
  • Cool the cheesecake. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door open several inches, and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, and set it on a rack to finish cooling. You can refrigerate it to cool as well, just cover with a paper towel to prevent condensation then cover with another layer of plastic wrap or tinfoil. When ready to serve, top with cherry topping and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Notes

  • Storage: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like to place a paper towel over the surface, then cover with plastic wrap or tinfoil. The paper towel helps to keep condensation from forming on top of the cheesecake.
  • Freezing: You can freeze a whole or slice of cheesecake for up to 2 months. Wrap well with several layers of plastic wrap (I also like to then place in a plastic bag or wrap a final time in tinfoil). Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
  • Cream cheese: Full-fat cream cheese is best for texture. Do not use whipped or tub style cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature. If the cream cheese is cold it will not mix in well and not make for a smooth filling.
  • Cocoa powder: You can use either unsweetened or Dutch process cocoa powder. I prefer Dutch process as it gives it a richer, more chocolatey flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 696kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 1177IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 5mg