This Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake features a chocolate cookie crust, creamy chocolate cheesecake filling, chocolate ganache, and shaved chocolate! Made with basic ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. Simply put, this is the best chocolate cheesecake recipe you’ll ever try!
Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Best Chocolate Cheesecake
The day has arrived! I’m finally sharing the recipe for my favorite chocolate cheesecake! You know… the one I teased you with on Instastories last week! And trust me, it was worth the wait, my friend. Because this thick and ultra creamy chocolate cheesecake is one of the best things I’ve ever baked! It’s so smooth and creamy it melts in your mouth. We made it for Christmas Eve last year and everyone wanted the recipe. And I’ve already received multiple requests to make it for our family Valentine’s Day party. I don’t mind one bit because this cheesecake is freezer friendly! Meaning I can make it up to two months in advance and then just pull if out of the freezer when needed. Does it get better than that?!
I’m confident that after one slice, you’ll be equally smitten with this decadent chocolate ganache cheesecake. So, without further ado, let’s dig in!
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- The filling for this chocolate cheesecake is so decadent because it’s made with 12 ounces of dark chocolate. You’ll melt the chocolate and slightly cool it before the batter. It only needs a few minutes to cool down.
- Because we want the BEST chocolate flavor, I do not suggest using chocolate chips. But if you can’t stand super dark chocolate, you may use semi-sweet. Almost any of Lindt’s EXCELLENCE Bars work great in this recipe.
- In addition to the chocolate, you’ll need cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla. If you cannot find brown sugar, you can use all granulated sugar.
- The batter can be made in a food processor, high powered blender, or add all of the ingredients to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer. I use my blender!
- To make the chocolate cookie crust you will need two ingredients: melted butter and chocolate wafer crumbs. You’ll combine the two ingredients in a small bowl, and then pat the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan. You could also make an Oreo crust or a graham cracker crust!
- This recipe requires a springform pan. If you don’t already own one and need a good place to start, feel free to click here and check out the one I’ve been using for years.
- Because cold cream cheese won’t blend smoothly, it MUST be very soft before you begin assembling this recipe. I typically leave it out on the counter for at least two hours before I plan on baking.
- And you should also bring your eggs and cream to room temperature, because batters made with cold ingredients don’t come together smoothly.
- As for the chocolate, it will need to be melted and slightly cooled, 10 minutes or so should do the job.
- Finally, you’ll want to be sure you chill your cheesecake on a wire rack until it’s at room temperature, and then for at least 6 hours in the fridge before slicing and serving. Otherwise it’ll be too soft and mushy. Yuck.
How to make a Water Bath:
A water bath is simply the term bakers use when they place a baking pan – in this case, our spring form pan – into a larger pan that’s been filled partially with hot water. Taking this extra step helps insulate the pan from direct heat on all sides while it bakes. The water bath method helps your cheesecake bake gently, ensuring the finished product doesn’t burn, curdle, or crack. It also helps the cheesecake maintain its silky smooth texture.
When it comes to choosing a pan or large baking sheet for your water bath, choose one that is as tall as the cheesecake pan and large enough to leave a few inches between the cheesecake pan and the outer rim; you want enough room for the water to circulate easily.
IMPORTANT: If you’re using a springform pan, it’s essential to wrap the pan in MULTIPLE LAYERS of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Otherwise water will seep in and destroy your chocolate cheesecake. And that would be a SIN! So I suggest wrapping the pan from every angle and pressing the foil in, up, and around the pans edges.
When you’re ready to make your water bath, here’s what you do:
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to called for temperature. When the oven is preheated, carefully (using an oven mitt) pull out the middle rack and place your large pan on it.
- Fill the pan with 1 and 1/2 inches of boiling hot water, then place the filled cheesecake pan in the center of the water bath.
- Slowly slide the rack back to its full inserted position and close the door. Bake the cheesecake according to instructions.
If you’d like to avoid making a water bath at all costs, you can place the roasting pan on the rack beneath the cheesecake. This work about 70% of the time for me, but occasionally when I do this my cheesecake still gets some little cracks on top. But since you’ll be covering this cheesecake with chocolate ganache, a few cracks aren’t the end of the world.
Pro Tip: Be sure to cool the baked cheesecake in the springform pan until you’re ready to serve it! This includes the time the cheesecake chills in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze Homemade Cheesecake?
Yes, this amazing cheesecake recipe is freezer friendly! Simply cool the cheesecake completely, then wrap the whole cheesecake, or slices of the cheesecake, in multiple layers of saran wrap, then place in a freezer bag. This cheesecake will keep, stored properly in the freezer, for two months.
How do you Defrost Rich Chocolate Cheesecake?
To defrost the cheesecake, simply thaw the wrapped cheesecake in refrigerator overnight. Do not attempt to thaw cheesecake in the microwave or oven! Otherwise the cooled chocolate ganache topping will melt and make a huge mess.
This easy chocolate cheesecake recipe is so delicious it doesn’t need anything on top! But if you’re feeling extra decadent, a dollop of whipped cream on top is delicious! Or try spooning some fresh cherry or strawberry sauce over each slice. We did that for Christmas and it was a huge hit.
With its chocolate cookie base, creamy dark chocolate filling, and easy chocolate ganache topping, this cheesecake is truly a dream come true for chocolate lovers!
If you try this recipe for Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥
More Chocolate Cheesecake Recipes:
- Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Easy Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
- No-Bake Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake
- Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake
- Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake
Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 9" cheesecake
Rich, creamy, and supremely flavorful, this is the ultimate chocolate cheesecake!
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g/6.3 ounces) Chocolate Wafer Crumbs
- 1/4 cup (57g/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
For the Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake:
- 2 cups (340g/12 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 and 1/2 pounds (680g/24 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (198g/7 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (53g/1 and 7/8 ounces) light brown sugar, packed
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (170g/6 ounces) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 and 1/3 cups (226g/8 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 and 1/4 cups (12 ounces) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (57g/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan in layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. You’ll be placing this pan in a water bath, so be sure the pan has been wrapped from every angle.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Pat the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool the crust completely. Leave the oven on.
For the Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake:
- Fill a medium pot one-third full with water and bring it to a low simmer over medium heat.
- Place a heatproof bowl that will fit on top of the pan snugly, but will not touch the simmering water, on top of the pan. Reduce the heat to low and add the chopped chocolate into the bowl over the pot. Heat until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring occasionally with a silicon spatula. Remove the pot from the heat, leaving the bowl of chocolate over the hot water. Set aside until needed.
- In the bowl of a food processor (or high-powered blender), pulse the cream cheese until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. Add in both sugars and cocoa powder and beat smooth. Add in the eggs, egg yolks, and heavy cream and mix until just combined, about 20 seconds. Fold in the chocolate. Finally add in the vanilla and pulse for another 20 seconds.
- Remove the bowl from the food processor and, using a rubber spatula, stir the filling several times to ensure it’s evenly blended.
- Scrape the filling over the partially baked crust in the prepared pan.
- Place the springform pan in a roasting pan or large baking pan. Place the roasting pan in the preheated oven and pour enough hot water into the pan to come 1-inch up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the cheesecake in the water bath for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set but still slightly jiggly. The cake will set completely as it cools.
- Remove the cake from the water bath and place the pan on a wire rack. Carefully loosen the foil, then immediately run the tip of a knife around the sides of the pan, to prevent the top from cracking. Cool completely (in the pan), then transfer cheesecake to the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours before removing from the pan and slicing.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- Add chopped chocolate to a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-heat, bring the cream to a low simmer. Pour half of the cream on top of the chocolate pieces and set aside for 1 minute. With a whisk, begin to incorporate the melted chocolate into the cream. Slowly add the remaining cream and continue carefully whisking until smooth and glossy.
- Add in the butter and use a spatula to stir until the butter is completely melted. The mixture will be dark and glossy. Set aside, at room temperature, until needed.
- Pour ganache over cooled cheesecake. Set aside until ganache is set, about 1 hour.
- To serve, slice the cheesecake with a thin-bladed sharp knife, wiping the knife clean between each cut.
- Store, loosely covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine Cheesecake
THIS!!! But I wish you made a video of the water bath! Its easier if you see it vs read it!
I agree!
These is a video for this recipe 🙂 You can find it one the homepage sidebar.
Where can I find this video?I looked at the homepage as well as searched for one, can’t seem to find it! I made the cake and only have the ganache left to do, lookin good so far 🙂
Hi Lauren. The video is at the top of this recipe! Right under the first paragraph.
OMG, I made this for my fiancé for Father’s Day (yesterday) and he loved it, he said it was the best cheesecake I’ve ever made. Word to the wise – this cheesecake is very rich is decadent, just be prepared. I improvised on a few things – I couldn’t find the chocolate wafer crumbs so I improvised and used crushed Oreo cookies and added homemade whipped cream. My plan is for us to eat half of the cheesecake and freeze the rest; I’m crossing my fingers we have the self-discipline to actually do this lol. This recipe is definitely going into the dessert rotation! Thanks for another great recipe!!!
If you look in the area of ice cream toppings that’s where I found them.
Undoubtedly this cake is a mouthwatering treat. Well, there is a party at my house next week and I will make this cake. I am sure my guests will enjoy. Thanks, Ashley for sharing such an amazing recipe with us.
Wow! This cheesecake is amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Hi is wafer crumbs a particular cookie/biscuit? Or is it any type of chocolate cookie/biscuit?
I have used Nabisco Chocolate Wafers…..works perfectly
Nabisco chocolate wafers were in the ice cream toppings area at Safeway/Albertsons grocery store.
This recipe is just PERFECT!! Ahh, thank you so much for sharing it with us!
This looks perfect!
Hi! Id like to try this in cupcake sizes but i dont know how to do the water bath for that. Do you know if it will work if i put the water tray in the rack below the cupcake tray?
Hi Kristine! I haven’t tried this so I cannot say for sure, but I think that could work. You’ll also want to decrease the bake time 🙂
When do I make the ganache? After the cheesecake cools for 6 hours? Or do you put on before ?
Yes, after the cheesecake cools 🙂
Yes cool it first on a rack then top it and put it in fridge but leave in pan
Yummy 🙂 Please try to share in Video format that will be great helpful for us.
Cheesecake looks amazing but don’t we need to add sour cream in it? Normally all cheesecake has sour cream as one of the ingredients?
Hello Afroz!
This one does not need it. You must try it if you looove dark chocolate! It is absolutely deeelicious! Rich, creamy, melts in the mouth! Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate LOVE!!!!! Soooo yummy good!
No, not all Cheesecake has sour cream. Some my use Yogurt. But with all the different Chocolates they are using. I mite change the Recipe if you add sour cream.
They are also using heavy cream instead of sour cream.
Looks so good!
I was wondering if you have a video of this recipe? I’d love to make it for Thanksgiving but I’m a beginner!
Question… we REALLY dislike bittersweet chocolate
can we substitute milk chocolate?
Hi Karen. I would suggest using semi-sweet chocolate. Milk chocolate would yield a VERY sweet cheesecake, but if you really want, you could give it a shot 🙂
@bakerbynature which chocolate wafers do you suggest?
I love Nabisco’s famous chocolate wafers 🙂
Hello Baker by Nature!
I absolutely LOOOOVE this cheesecake recipe!!!!! Thank you very much for sharing it with us!
I bought my Nabisco Chocolate Wafers online. Do you know if they can be frozen for longer storage? My batch were not past the expiration date, kept in a cool dark place, ( air condition room in the heavy packing envelope it came in away from the ☀️), and I thought it had an off flavor.
It is difficult to find these in stores here.
Thank you very much!
Or if any other suggestions…. I am very grateful! ❤️
I looked all over for chocolate wafers and couldn’t find them, but I did manage to find some chocolate graham crackers, so I used those and it turned out great.
I really don’t care for Famous Chocolate Wafers due to their having coconut as an ingredient. Maybe that was the off flavor you detected?
I recently purchased the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies in Publix here in Alabama. The expiration date was about to expire on the box. When I tasted one cookie it had a very distinct stale flavor to it. One would say a rancid taste. Fortunately, I was able to return it to the store and received a refund. I will not purchase any more if the expiration date isn’t at least months away.
I experienced the same. Mine weren’t out of date, but tasted terrible. I just made this cheesecake and substituted Oreo cookie crumbs instead.
You can find chocolate wafer crumbs where you find Graham wafer crumb. There are also pkgs of plain chocolate cookies ( no filling etc) in the cookie aisle of most grocers.
Awesome thank you guys!
What do you make the swirly globs on top of the cheesecake with? Is that also the ganache?
I guess hat’s chocolate. you can use a normal peeler to make the swirls with the side of a chocolate bar 🙂
Thank you immensely for this delicious absolutely Lucious looking recipe!! Christmas Day table bound!!
Mmmmm….. YES!!!!! How did it go? I made it for New Years. It was ABSOLUTELY DEEELICIOUS!!!!!
Chocolate graham crackers
Have you used Chocolate Graham’s? How was it? Thank you
What do we do in countries with no Heavy cream? :S How do I substitute it?
I made this cheesecake using 1/2 & 1/2 because I didn’t have heavy cream, and it turned out absolutely delicious. I did use the heavy cream for the ganache the next day so I can’t speak to that.
This cheesecake came out so great the first time I’m making it again this holiday season to bring to a family dinner. So good
Insane cheesecake. Imagine a cake size piece of the best Belgian truffle or Sees Candy. Now spend as much time as you can stand savoring it, bite by bite. I’m so jealous!
My only caution is the ganache. There’s a lot and it makes a huge mess if you’re a novice (like me). Next time I’m going to add most of the ganache before taking cake out of pan. After refrigerating til firm, I would then use the remainder to drizzle off the edges with cake removed from ring.
Amazing recipe. Went down a treat!
Made this and it was gone in 3 days! I am not a fan of rich cheesecake but this is like eating a smooth chocolate mousse. Delicious! I will definitely make this again! I usually will not eat any chocolate higher than 60% cocoa but you can’t taste the bitterness in the cheesecake. I made it with 70% and was good but I think I will try a darker one next time.
It is soooo delicious!!!!!! I love bittersweet chocolate though. I used 70%. Next time I want to try 85% or 100%. I do not like things very sweet.
Mine was chocolaty and delicious but very dense not like a fluffy Mousse. I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong.
It should be dense 🙂
Thank you soooo much Ashley! This Triple Chocolate Cheesecake was FABULOUS!!!!! I made it for the New Years Family Gathering. I am a Chocoholic!!!! And we have several Dark Chocolate Lovers in the family that looooved it just as much as I did!!!!!
I did modify it a bit… I also love coffee, so I added 2 slightly heaping Tablespoons of finely ground good Espresso to the Cheesecake Batter. And I reduced the sugar a little since I can only eat a certain percentage of sugar. And I added a pinch or two of Kosher Salt into the Cheesecake Batter, since I added the Espresso.
Thank you very much again Ashley! I cannot wait to try more of your yummy recipes! ❤️
Hi, can I skip the water bath? I do not know on which temperature baked and also 1h seems a lot. The filling is wonderful.
Just put a small bowl of water in your oven off to one side. If your cheesecake starts to crack then the temp down a little bit
We have a small family run coffee shop and have baked this over the weekend to add to the menu. Cheesecake has never been my strong point, but it came out quite well, or as I say it, sellable! Not as silky as yours looks in the picture, but firmer and bit crumbly. Will experiment with a slightly lower temp or shorter oven time. Maybe my waterbath wasn’t high enough?
Thanks for an amazing recipe!
This is delicious and so creamy. I did make a few adjustments due to not having a few grocery items. I used peanut butter cookies to make the crust in my blender. I left out the sugar from the crust since the cookies were sweet. I used semisweet chips in place of the bittersweet chocolate and used only a 1/2 cup sugar. I didn’t have heavy cream so I used 1/2 & 1/2. Since I used peanut butter cookies to make the crust, I decided to make a chocolate peanut butter ganache for the topping. It was delicious. Can’t imagine the cheesecake being any better by using the heavy cream, but I bet it is.
Substitute for eggs please..
Hi! I I would love to bake this for my daughter’s bday. Here in Italy we don’t have wafer crumbs…..what do you think if I try with chocolate digestive biscuits? And as for the water bath…my oven gives me the option to add steam during any kind of baking, do you think that would work ? It basically adds humidity in the baking…thank you!
Delicious recipe! I only have a 7 inch springform pan so I halved the recipe and baked for about 50 minutes and it turned out wonderfully. Thank you!
Hi
Could you please email this recipe to me?
My printer has issues and I would love to surprise my son with his favorite.
Thanks
AnneLise
These look absolutely fabulous!! Great photos too 🙂 Stunning post I really admire your recipe
Is the ganache put on after the room temp cool down or the 6 hrs in the refrigerator?
This cheesecake looks great but i hate water baths. I always make a pumpkin cheesecake at the holidays and. Put a pan of boiling water under my cheesecake and no cracks. I cook it slow and leave it in the oven a few hours to cool. Can this cake be baked thesame as my pumpkin or differently
My husband requested chocolate cheesecake for his birthday this year and I begrudgingly agreed as I am not a real chocolate lover. He thought this was outstanding, but it was way too chocolatey for me. I greased the pan, but still had issues with the crust sticking. I think lining with parchment might have solved that issue. I baked it for about 75 minutes, but think it probably could have used an extra 10-15minutes still. The center was set, but a bit underdone. We both agreed the outside tasted more cheesecakey to us. Not sure if that’s because the center wasn’t quite done or due to some other error. Oh, and like another reviewer, I recommend halving the ganache recipe – I had a big bowl of leftover ganache and nothing to do with it!
I have been using cake strips for all my cakes for over a year now. They keep my cakes nice and flat so I don’t have to trim the dome or cracks away – no wastage. So, instead of a water bath, I just use cake strips. I did a tester without the cake strip, sure enough the cheesecake domed and cracked while baking. The one with the cake strip came out nice and flat. No water bath required, just cake strips pre-soaked in water and then wrapped around the pan.
For this cake, I didn’t have any cream, so I substituted with Greek yoghurt instead. I like the tangy flavour, not too sweet. I also added some chopped fresh cherries to cut through the sweetness. Works a treat.
I made this last night. And I’m not going ANYWHERE until I’ve tried a piece! Sorry bossman. You’re beat. See y’all tomorrow.
Making this recipe but instead of a cookie crust, I want to try a flourless chocolate cake base.
(you know, because this isn’t rich enough!)
I made this cheesecake but in the middle of cooking I realized that the pan I planned on using as a water bath pan, was actually too small to fit my springform pan in. I panicked and just put the cake in the oven by itself, and the cake still turned out fine and tasted delicious! My boyfriend thinks this cake is too chocolaty and he’s not really a fan of dark chocolate, but I loved it and will make it again. Next time I will have a proper water bath tho, so I hope it’ll taste even better next time 🙂
Okay so now I made this again with a water bath this time. Yeah the consistency is silkier now but tbh the difference is not too big compared to the last time. So I’d say that if you just don’t have the equipment to make a water bath then just put the cake in the oven by itself. At least my cake didn’t even crack and the taste was almost as good as with the water bath.
I used chocolate graham crackers. Love this cheesecake!
This cake looks immense! And I would love to try to make it, however, where I live, there are no chocolate wafers. What can I sub it with please?
This cheesecake was THE BEST chocolate cheesecake I have ever made. My non chocolate friend ate two pieces! I substituted raspberry liquor for the vanilla extract and swirled raspberry preserves over the chocolate ganache, along with a drizzle of white chocolate. I did not have a Lindt chocolate bar, so I had to substitute Lindt dark chocolate truffles. It was amazing ! My friends took a photo, but I have never done Instagram . Thank you for this great recipe. Getting ready to make another one!
I’ve made this tasty cake (I stole a taste!) and frozen it, but without the ganache. Would you thaw before adding the ganache? Or can I maybe place it frozen back in the springform, add the ganache and then cover with plastic wrap to thaw in the fridge overnight? I’m thinking that will save me time and will allow the ganache to set nice and firm
Thanks!
I would let it slightly thaw before adding the ganache! But in a pinch, you can add it right on top of the frozen cheesecake 🙂 Happy holidays!
If you are halfing the recipe I recommend baking it for 40 to 45 min tops because I baked mine for 50 min and it overbaked
I followed the recipe and for some reason my chocolate inside the cheesecake hardened back up after cooling the entire cheesecake. Any idea what I did wrong?
Hi Lauren. It should harden and become quite dense. But if it was too hard, it may have been slightly overbaked. Next time, pull it out 10 minute earlier 🙂
Hi Ashley!
Ok, so, I bake cookies and apple pies and I cook dinner but this cheesecake pushed my boundaries which I love. It’s in the fridge and it looks amazing, the top hasn’t split so thank you so much for the water bath that people keep whining about and for the tip to run a knife around the edge. I know I shouldn’t post a comment till I taste it but I already am super jazzed and can’t wait to dive into it with friends and fam tonight at our NYE party. Thanks a ton for the recipe and your tips and Happy New Year!
Mark
ASHLEY!!!! (Update) Huge success last night making this for our NYE party!!!!! Everyone LOVED it!! I am so doing this again and again. Thank you again for sharing this recipe.
I made this tonight!! So good!! I put a pan of water under my cheese cake on the second rack because I didn’t want to waste a whole bunch of tin foil…. that I would probably mess up and my cake would be soaked with water!! Lol it worked out great. I just had a few small cracks at the edge! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so good and I would love to try it but I have a question. You add brown suger but I’m not sure which suger you mean by that. Her in the Netherlands when we say ‘brown sugar’ we mean ‘basterdsuiker’ but is that also what you mean? Maybe you can look on Google for basterdsuiker to see for yourself? I would appreciate it very much!
And if it isn’t basterdsuiker, maybe you mean ‘rietsuiker’? Thank you very much in advance! Jolanda
I’m going to make this fabulous cake for Valentines Day and I then have to transport it to my boyfriends house. Should I make the cake the day before, make ganache on Valentines Day and then put ganache and chocolate shavings right before I take it over?
I’m nervous about it not tasting fresh and about it riding in a car! I’m
Great cheesecake. Last Nov 2019 I turned it into a marble cheesecake as I only had enough chocolate for 1/2 recipe & 1/2 ganache “which was plenty for top”. Yummy, yummy! Froze beautifully! Plan to make it again this week.
Can we make it without eggs and if we don’t add eggs do we still bake?