Thursday, April 30, 2009

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake



I made this for a girls' night out. The night it was made it kind of tasted like chocolate mousse. The next day like a cheesecake - I preferred it the next day...but others might disagree. Either way it was goodness!

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (can use oreos with frosting scraped out)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 pounds cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces melted semisweet chocolate, cooled slightly
Fresh strawberries, for garnish
Whipped cream, for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if using a silver springform pan, or 325 degrees F if using a dark nonstick springform pan).

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the butter and mix well. Press onto the bottom of springform pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, remaining sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and sour cream and mix well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just blended. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until the center is almost set. Allow cake to cool in cooling oven for one hour to prevent cracking. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Preferably overnight!  Cheesecake may be made up to 2 days in advance before serving and will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Serve the cheesecake garnished with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and mint sprigs. (Great the next day with nothing!)

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