Coffee, chocolate and cheesecake in one decadent slice. You can’t beat that.
Are you as obsessed with mocha as I am? Combining chocolate and coffee together usually wins over even the non-coffee drinkers among us. This combination is something most of us can’t resist. I’m all about wearing my love of mocha on my sleeve and think you should too (but I promise not to tell if you cheat with this Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake sometimes).
This mocha cheesecake breaks all the myths that making cheesecake is difficult. It’s a fun and indulgent dessert that is simple to put together. We start off with an irresistible Oreo crust that, let’s be honest, we could eat by the spoonful. Then we add rich chocolate and our favorite instant espresso for the signature mocha flavor. Using melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder gives us a fudgier chocolate flavor and adds to the rich dense texture of this cheesecake. Oh, and speaking of Oreos, have you seen this Oreo Cheesecake? It’s a rule breaker but a delicious one.
When you incorporate the chocolate, make sure you add the chocolate slowly so there are no lumps, which can keep the cream cheese from completely combining with the rest of the ingredients. It will still be tasty, but certainly not as pretty.
It’s also important to remember to go low and slow. Beating the ingredients together too fast adds air to the batter which then increases the risk of your cheesecake cracking. You also need to hold yourself back from opening the oven door during baking or opening it more than a crack when the cheesecake just finishes baking. Again, this is to help prevent cracking in your cheesecake.
Lastly, go crazy with toppings! I love adding chocolate ganache, caramel and whipped cream to my cheesecake. And by the way, if your cheesecake does happen to crack, toppings cover all wrongs.
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Mocha Cheesecake
Coffee, chocolate and cheesecake in one decadent slice. You can’t beat that.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Crust
- 24 Oreos
- 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate
- 1 and ½ Tbsp. espresso powder
- 2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 oz. sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Toppings
- 3 Tbsp. chocolate sauce or chocolate ganache
- 2 Tbsp. caramel sauce
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate-covered espresso beans
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan and set aside until needed.
- Add the Oreos and 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar to a food processor and process until the mixture becomes fine crumbs. Keep the food processor running as you drizzle in the melted butter. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
- Take the springform pan and dump the Oreo mixture into it. Press the crumbs against the sides and bottom of the pan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and, if the crust looks puffed, press the crumbs against the bottom and sides using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass cup. Set aside. Leave the oven on.
Cheesecake Filling
- Place the milk in a medium bowl and heat in the microwave until it is hot and steaming, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate and espresso powder and allow to sit for about 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir the mixture until it becomes a smooth consistency. Set aside.
- In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth and creamy. Add the one cup of sugar and beat until fully incorporated, approximately 1 – 2 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition of egg until it is fully incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla and salt until mixed in.
- Beat the cream cheese mixture on low as you slowly drizzle in the chocolate mixture. Do not pour the chocolate in too fast, or else you may end up with clumps in the batter. Carefully fold in the flour until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 45 – 50 minutes, or until the edges look just set. The center may still look slightly jiggly. Turn off the heat and crack open the oven door without opening it completely. You may need to use a wooden spoon stuck in the door to keep the door from closing completely. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about an hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
Topping
- Once cooled, drizzle chocolate sauce and caramel over the top and top with whipped cream and chocolate-coated espresso beans.
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