Luscious and creamy, this Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake is chocolate heaven - rich chocolate cheesecake with the perfect hint of espresso to deepen the flavor and balance the sweetness, a pecan and chocolate cookie crust, and topped with chocolate ganache.
This Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake is a magical combination of flavors and textures. Sour cream in the rich, creamy chocolate cheesecake gives a lovely tang and luscious feel. The semi-sweet chocolate ganache gives a fudgy, intensely chocolatey, melt-in- your-mouth smoothness.
The chocolate cookie crust on this cheesecake is so amazing - with crunchy pecans and sweet, crumbly chocolate wafers - that a bottom crust only is not enough. This baby goes all the way up the sides. The crust is drizzled with melted chocolate, intensifying the chocolate flavor and keeping the crust crunchy.
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Recipe
Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups ground pecans toasted (6oz, 170g)
- 1 ½ cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs 6.5oz, 184g
- 6 tablespoons butter melted (3oz, 85g)
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate melted (85g)
Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature (454g)
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 7.6oz, 215g
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate melted and cooled (227g)
- ½ cup fresh brewed espresso or other strong coffee
- 1 cup sour cream 8.8oz, 249g
Glaze:
- ⅓ cup heavy cream 2.7oz, 76g
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped (85g)
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Combine cookie crumbs, pecans, and melted butter and stir until mixed thoroughly. Press into bottom and up sides of prepared pan.
- Put in the freezer a few minutes to firm. Remove from freezer and brush base with melted chocolate.
- Chill while preparing the filling.
Filling:
- Combine cream cheese and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth. Scrape down bowl and paddle.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down bowl and paddle.
- Add vanilla and melted chocolate and mix until combined.
- Add espresso and mix until combined. Scrape down bowl and paddle.
- Add sour cream and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour filling into prepared crust.
- Fill a baking pan half way full with water and put on bottom rack of oven. Bake the cheesecake on the middle rack for 1 hour.
- Lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees F and bake 1 hour longer.
- Lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer.
- Turn off oven and leave cake in for 30 minutes with the door closed.
- Remove cake from oven and let cool to room temperature.
- Cover cake and refrigerate at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
Glaze:
- In a small saucepan, heat cream, sugar, and semisweet chocolate until melted. Stir until smooth.
- Pour glaze over top of cheesecake and smooth. Chill for 1 hour to set the glaze.
Notes
- It will seem tricky at first, but this cheesecake definitely needs the crust all the way up the sides!
Nutrition
Adapted from Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts
You might also like:
Classic New York Cheesecake with a Chocolate Cookie Crust and Roasted Cherries
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce
Please leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Beth Guidice says
When do you normally add the glaze? Is after the cheesecake has been chilling for four hours or when the cheesecake is cooled to room temp?
Kelly says
Hi Beth, I chill the cheesecake first then add the glaze, giving the glaze an additional hour to set.
Janet T. says
The cheesecake is phenomenal! First, we were in the middle of a frost storm so I couldn't just run to the store but I had most of the ingredients (because I love to bake, so that wasn't uncommon). I made my own chocolate wafers based on your recipe and they were perfect. I also used used espresso brewed from my Nespresso machine. Knowing I needed the espresso, I brewed it in advance so that it could cool. The recipe was well worth the wait and time. I will make it again, exactly as written. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Kelly says
So happy you liked it, Janet! Thanks so much!
Diane says
This looks delicious! But is the espresso supposed to be room temp, or hot or cold? What can we use instead of the chocolate wafer cookies, I don't know that I have time to make them and the cheese cake. Thanks
Kelly says
I put the espresso in at room temp. Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers or Oreos both make a great base. Thanks so much, Diane!
Ercilia says
Adorei a receita, mas no referente ao tempo de assar, o total é de 3 horas mesmo?
Kelly says
Hi, Ercilia! Yes, it's baked low and slow. Thanks so much!
Amy says
Hello Dear I made these recipe and it's fantastic. I saw that recipe on another website with this picture and completely the same ingredients and directions :/ I can't find your email to send you that link. Have a great day.
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Amy! So glad you enjoyed it! Please feel free to reach me at Kelly@foodtasia.com. That's so frustrating. Thanks a lot for letting me know! Have a great day!
Kat says
Wondering if there's a different temperature or time setting needed for a convection oven?
Kelly says
Hi Kat! That's a great question! I have never tried using convection for baking cheesecakes so I personally have no idea. I'm finding some opposing views online. Many are in the camp that you shouldn't bake cakes or cheesecakes in a convection oven because they may cook unevenly and dry out or even burn on the top. I found another bakery owner who has baked cheesecakes in a convection oven for over 20 years with no problems. If I were to experiment with baking the cheesecake in a convection oven, I would lower the temperature by 25-30 degrees, bake the cheesecake on a lower rack, definitely use a water bath, check the cheesecake earlier than the time stated for doneness, and if the top starts to brown I would cover it with a piece of aluminum foil. Please note that many of my experiments go awry 🙂
I would love to hear from anyone with experience baking cheesecakes in a convection oven!
DaBoss says
Wow, I love it. It looks great and I am sure it taste even greater.
Kelly says
Thanks, DaBoss!