Cookbook:Chocolate Cheesecake

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This chocolate cheesecake is rich in both chocolate and cheese. It is noticeably less sweet than many other American desserts, and somewhat more complicated.

• 5 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 cups chocolate wafer/cookie/graham cracker crumbs

• 3 packages (24 ounces / 705 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 5 ea. (250 g) eggs
• 4 ounces (215 g / 4 squares) semisweet chocolate, melted

• 6 ounces (150 g / 6 squares) semisweet chocolate, melted
• ½ cup sour cream

• Electric mixer
• Springform pan

1. Place rack in center of the oven. Preheat oven to 150 °C (300 °F).
2. If starting with whole cookies, crackers, or wafers, place them in a sturdy plastic bag a few at a time and crush using a rolling pin, or grind using a food processor.
3. Mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter.
4. Press crumb mixture into bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan.
5. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and eggs at medium speed, slowly adding cream cheese, until smooth and fluffy.
6. Spoon half of cream cheese mixture into crust.
7. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate using a double boiler or, with care, a microwave. Stir into remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended.
8. Drizzle chocolate cream cheese mixture over batter in crust. Draw a spoon or other implement through the batter a few times to make swirls. Spread evenly.
9. Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes. After the first 30 minutes has gone by, place aluminum foil on top to prevent cracking and scorching.
10. Cool completely.
11. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill for about 2 hours or up to several days.
12. Transfer cheesecake to a serving plate.
13. Uncover cheesecake; carefully remove side of pan.

1. Melt remaining chocolate.
2. Mix with sour cream.
3. Spread over cake, and chill to set.

• Brown sugar is not absolutely necessary (you can substitute granulated), but it provides better flavor.
• If no electric mixer is available, the cream cheese can be mixed with egg yolks one-at-a-time before the whites are added. Unless you find separating eggs extremely difficult, this will be worthwhile for the effort saved in mixing.
• Without a springform pan, a cake this stiff will require that at least the first piece be broken up in the process of serving. Fortunately, it's often easy to find someone who doesn't care.
• Without aluminum foil, the top of the cake will crack and brown somewhat, but the topping covers it effectively, making it practically unnoticeable.