Triple Threat Chocolate Cheesecake!

One day my sister-in-law, Janette, and I had been talking cheesecake and I texted her this recipe.  She then asked if I was going to make said cheesecake.  I told her I wasn’t because I didn’t have a spring form pan.  Well, about 2 weeks before my 33^rd birthday I got a package with a spring form pan and a note that said, “May your cheesecake and your life turn out exactly the way you want it to”.  I love Janette.  And I set out to make my very first cheesecake for my birthday cake.  This is what it looked like when all was said and done.  Not too shabby for a first try, eh? (It tasted amazing too).

Well, then I got to reading cheesecake recipes and decided to get adventurous.  I sent this message to a couple of friends who I knew would appreciate it, “I’m making another cheesecake.  Chocolate Triple Threat.  Cookie crust, layer of chocolate cheesecake, vanilla with chocolate flakes, then the top layer is vanilla/chocolate marble.  Since this is only my second cheesecake I really hope it turns out.  It may have been too soon to improvise…”  And there you have it.  This is my Chocolate Triple Threat.  Please note that the filling needs some TLC but that it’s totally worth it in the end.  There may be an easier way to do this but I’m pretty new to the cheesecake realm.

Recipe adapted from a number of cheesecakes found on Mel’s Kitchen Café website, as well as a few I found on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

Crust:

½ stick butter, melted

15 (yes, exactly.  I counted) chocolate graham crackers (the whole graham – unseparated)

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Filling:

4 bricks (8 oz. each) cream cheese – softened to room temperature (spreadable room temp)

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp flour

1 cup + 1/3 cup sugar (divided)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

4 oz unsweetened chocolate (I just use the Baker’s chocolate squares)

6 oz chocolate (I used semi-sweet, but you could use milk or bittersweet depending on how sweet you like it), chopped (so it’s kind of little chunks and flakes – or you could use chocolate chips, if you like a more uniform texture.  I liked the difference of just chopping the chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. (You’ll need a 9- or 10-inch spring form pan for this one)

For the crust: Break the graham crackers a bit before adding them to the bowl of your food processor.  Pulse with the sugar until you have fine crumbs.  Add butter and incorporate into the crumbs.  Press into your spring form pan (mine is non-stick so it needed no extra prep.  If you have a regular metal one, you may need to lightly grease it) going half to three-fourths they way up the pan.  Bake for 5 minutes (or less.  Just enough so your kitchen smells like chocolate cookies).

Remove from oven and let cool.

For the fillings:  While the crust is cooling, cream your cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) for approx 30-60 seconds (or until it is no longer lumpy).  Add the 1 cup sugar.  Beat until creamy (approx 1 more minute).  Add flour, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time, and incorporate completely on lowest speed.  Finally, add the sour cream until incorporated.

Melt your baking chocolate by either putting it in a double boiler or a microwave-safe bowl (melting 1 minute at first, stirring, then checking/stirring it at 30-second intervals).  Heat until just melted, add and incorporate your 1/3 cup sugar, then let cool for 5-10 minutes.

**WARNING** It's about to get high maintenance up in here.  Separate batter into 3 bowls by pouring 3 cups into the first bowl and 2 cups into the second, then by leaving the remaining batter in the mixing bowl.  To the first bowl (3-cups), add your melted chocolate mixture.  Fold to incorporate, then pour only 2 cups of batter into the prepared crust (thus reserving 1 cup for later).  To the second bowl (2 cups), add the chopped chocolate and fold until incorporated. Pour on top of the bottom chocolate layer.  Gingerly spread the remaining plain batter (mixing bowl) on top.  Drop the remaining chocolate batter sporadically on top, then take a butter knife  and make swirls (inserting knife into batter no more than one inch).  If possible, work by folding the top layer so that the marble effect is deeper than just the surface.

Bake at 325 degrees for at least one hour, then check for proper doneness every 5 minutes after that first hour (I ended up doing 1 hour 20 min).  I got some valuable advice from a baker friend of mine who told me you want your cheesecake to look soft but not jiggly (so shake it a bit). When the cheesecake is soft, crack your oven door and turn off the heat.  Let it cool for 30-45 minutes in the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Since a cheesecake takes a few hours to cool thoroughly, then a little longer to chill, you’ll want to cover it and refrigerate overnight in the pan.  Remove your outer pan when you’re ready to serve.  Slice, top with whipped cream and more shaved chocolate, and shove in your face.  Then go take a nap.

I didn't focus on the frills...I just dug in. :)