Chocolate Chip Cheesecake With Chocolate Topping

chocolate chip cheesecake baked in a pie dish
Diana Rattray
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Rest and Chill : 5 hrs 30 mins
Total: 6 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Yield: 1 cake

Cheesecake might be one of the most beloved desserts all over the world. What is known in America as a cheesecake is a cream cheese-based sweet cake, made with eggs, sugar, and butter that sits on a cookie crust and is mildly flavored with vanilla or other spices. But because the basic recipe is so simple, yet delicious, many other flavorings can be added. And this is the case with our chocolate version of this decadent cake. The chocolate makes it a wonderful and elegant dessert for special occasions but it's also easy enough to make just for fun during a weekday. A chocolate wafer crust adds the perfect amount of texture and flavor to the creamy filling, while an extra drizzle of chocolate on top adds a pretty visual and some extra chocolate flavor—because there's never too much chocolate! Enjoy it with a cup of coffee during an afternoon break, treat the kids with a thick slice of cheesecake with a glass of cold milk, or bring it to any gathering where it surely will become the sought-after dessert.

This silky and delicious treat might go back thousands of years to Ancient Greece, whence it passed on from one culture to the next with different variations depending on local ingredients and traditions. Other types of cheeses were used, like cottage or soft cheeses like Neufchatel, a French cheese that has its own sweet cake. Though it is hard to pinpoint who came up with the "true" recipe for what we now know as cheesecake, many histories point to the owner of the famous Turf restaurant in Manhattan, who developed his own version of cheesecake and made it famous. Many other bakeries and restaurants followed, each adding a twist, but the simple cream cheese, eggs, and sugar recipe has remained the most favored by true cheesecake lovers.

For our recipe, we recommend a springform pan, but a deep-dish pie plate would work as well. Plan ahead if you want a flawless cheesecake, because once it's cooked it needs to rest in the turned-off oven with the door ajar, then cool completely at room temperature, and then rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Then it needs to go back in the fridge once you add the chocolate drizzle. It's best when made the day before and kept in the fridge until is time to decorate and serve.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

  • 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, or margarine, melted

  • 24 ounces cream cheese, softened

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 1 1/3 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided

  • 1/2 cup whipping cream

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4. Combine the chocolate cookie crumbs and butter; stir to blend thoroughly. Firmly press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes.

  3. In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  4. Stir in the vanilla and 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips into the batter.

  5. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust. Bake the cheesecake for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the oven door ajar. Leave cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes.

  6. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

  7. Cover the cheesecake and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

  8. Melt the remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler, gradually stirring in the whipping cream. Stir over low heat until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and spread or drizzle over the cheesecake. Chill thoroughly before serving.

  9. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
394 Calories
30g Fat
28g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 394
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 38%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Cholesterol 102mg 34%
Sodium 268mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 71mg 5%
Iron 2mg 8%
Potassium 205mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)