Black Forest Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cheesecake:
- 2 13.29-ounce packages Oreo cookies
- ¾ stick unsalted butter, melted
- 5.5-ounces dark 70% chocolate
- 16-ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 1-½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 4-ounces light sour cream
- Pinch of salt
For the Cherry Sauce:
- 10.5-ounces fresh cherries, halved and pitted
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
For the Slurry:
- 1-½ tsp. corn flour
- 3 tsp. water; extra, if needed
For the Topping:
- ½ cup whipping cream, whipped
For the Crust:
Instructions
To prepare the chocolate cheesecake:
- Pre-heat the oven to 320°F.
- Grease and line a springform pan.
- Using a blender, pulse the cookies into crumbs; if a blender is not available, put the cookies in a Ziplog bag and crush them with a rolling pin; transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add the melted butter and mix well.
- Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and up the sides about 2 inches; place in the refrigerator while you make the filling
To prepare the filling:
- In a bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate; stirring occasionally; set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the beater attachment or handheld beater, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy; scrape down the sides of the bowl as required.
- Add the vanilla; then the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is well incorporated.
- Add the sour cream and salt; beat well and fold through the melted chocolate.
- Pour the filling into the cookie base and smooth over the top as much as possible.
- Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for around 45 – 50 minutes or until the center is almost set; there should be a very slight wobble in the center.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool, at room temperature, for at least 45 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to cool completely.
To prepare the cherry sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine the cherries, water, lemon juice and sugar; bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down so the mixture is just simmering; simmer and stirring every so often for about 10 minutes or until the cherries have softened and the liquid has tripled.
- In a small bowl, make a slurry using the corn flour and extra water.
- Slowly dribble the slurry into the cherries while stirring constantly so that it doesn’t turn lumpy.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
To assemble and serve:
- Just before serving, using a medium bowl and an electric mixer, whip the cream.
- Pipe around the individual slices to be served and pour the cherry sauce over the top of cheesecake not covered by the whipped cream.