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TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE (Contains Gluten)

Bake and cool this perfectly luscious chocolate cheesecake in a bain marie (water bath) to prevent overbaking and to avoid cracks in the cake. It’s best to make the cake a day ahead as it needs to cool completely in the bain marie and then thoroughly chill and rest for several hours in the fridge. Read through entire recipe before beginning. There’s nothing difficult, but there are numerous steps. (I sometimes melt the chocolate as a first step to give it time to cool while making the crust.) If you’ve no food processor, crush the cookies in a gallon bag with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Whipped cream and fresh raspberries are a lovely accompaniment to this dessert.
Adapted from a recipe by Abigail Johnson Dodge/Fine Cooking Magazine.
makes one (9-inch) cheesecake using a springform pan

Ingredients

CRUST:

  • 1 ½ cups (6 oz/170 grams) finely crushed chocolate wafers (I liked the Nabisco wafers from the store but as they're no longer available, I order Dewey's Bakery Brownie Crisp cookies. Updated 11/25)
  • 3 tablespoons (1.32 oz/37.5 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup (2 oz/57 grams) unsalted butter, melted

FILLING: Sour Cream Mixture

  • ½ cup (4 oz/113 grams) sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder

FILLING: Melted Chocolate

  • 8- ounces (227 grams) bittersweet chocolate

FILLING: Cream Cheese mixture:

  • 3 (8 oz/227 grams ) packages cream cheese at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder-sifted if lumpy (plus extra for serving)
  • 1 ¼ cups (9 oz/255 grams) granulated sugar

FILLING: Eggs--3 large eggs at room temperature

Instructions

  • PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 400F. Set rack at center. Heat water for Bain Marie to boiling and turn down to keep hot until needed.
  • MAKE THE CRUST AND BAKE IT: In a medium bowl (or in a food processor), mix together or pulse (you can crush the cookies in the food processor now) the crushed chocolate wafers, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Spoon mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and an inch up the sides of the pan using a sheet of plastic wrap or a flat-bottomed coffee cup. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Wrap the springform pan bottom and half-way up the sides tightly with two layers of aluminum foil.
  • REDUCE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 300 F.
  • MAKE THE SOUR CREAM MIXTURE: Mix together the sour cream, vanilla, and instant coffee in a cup and set aside.
  • MELT THE CHOCOLATE: In a double boiler over medium heat (or in a microwave) melt chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • MAKE THE FILLING: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand-held mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, salt, and cocoa powder until very smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle or beaters frequently. Add the sugar and continue beating until well-blended and smooth.
    --Scrape the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture; beat until blended.
    --Add the sour cream mixture into the chocolate and cream cheese mixture and beat until blended.
    --Add the eggs, one at a time to the filling, and beat until just blended. Don’t overbeat after the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much.
    ( If the water in the kettle is not really hot, bring it once more to a boil.)
  • POUR THE FILLING INTO THE COOLED CRUST in the foil-wrapped pan and smooth the top evenly. Put the filled pan in the center of a deep roasting pan or similar casserole, etc., and place it on the center rack of the heated oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into one corner of the roasting pan so that it comes up nearly half-way up the sides of the springform cake pan. Using two hands, gently push the rack into the oven. (Have a cooling rack ready on the counter to receive the roasting pan and cake when it's done.)
  • BAKE THE CAKE 70-80* minutes OR until the center barely jiggles when nudged. Start checking at 65 minutes. The center should not be done but will jiggle a bit when the pan is gently nudged; it will finish baking and firming up as it cools. Carefully remove entire roasting pan with the cake and water to the cooling rack and let everything rest for several hours until completely cool. Remove cake from the water bath, discard foil, dry bottom with towels, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate several hours or overnight for best texture and flavor.
  • SERVE: Unclasp the pan’s ring and remove it. Using the left hand to hold the ring, push the bottom of the pan with the cake up through the ring with the right hand and slide it onto a serving platter. Dust top of cake with extra cocoa through a small sieve. Slice with a knife dipped in water, wiping knife between slices with a paper towel to insure clean slices. Serve with whipped cream if you like. Store leftovers up to one week well-wrapped in the fridge or for one month in the freezer.
    *original recipe indicates 60-70 min baking time for the cake alone to bake (no bain marie)