Black Forest Cheesecake

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Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 crushed chocolate cream sandwich cookies (about 24 cookies)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

Cheesecake

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (55% cocoa mass)
3/4 cup milk
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs

Topping

1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons Imperial Sugar Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate curls, for decorating

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, mix chocolate cookie crumbs, butter, and sugar together. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake crust for five minutes until set. Set aside to cool while making cheesecake.
Prepare cheesecake: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine milk and chocolate and heat in microwave 20-30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, whisk until mixture is completely smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla using an electric mixer until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just mixed. Don’t overmix.
Mix in melted chocolate until combined. Pour cheesecake batter over crust and spread evenly.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center is almost set. The center will still jiggle while edges will be set.
Turn oven off and crack oven door to allow cheesecake to cool slowly for 10 minutes, then remove cheesecake and carefully run a sharp knife around rim of pan to loosen cake.
Allow cheesecake to cool at room temperature for at least an hour, then cover and refrigerate for six hours or overnight.
Decoration: Release sides of springform pan. Top chilled cheesecake with cherry pie filling, mounding cherries toward center.
In a medium bowl, combine cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat using an electric mixer until thick, but still soft. Transfer to a piping bag with a decorative tip. Pipe swirls around border of cheesecake.
If desired, make chocolate shavings or curls by placing a chocolate bar in a warm place (~78°F) for about one hour. Or alternatively, heat chocolate bar in a microwave oven for 1-2 seconds. Using a vegetable peeler shave chocolate bar into curls or shavings and place on cheesecake just before serving.
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Imperial Sugar Insight

Recipe developed for Imperial Sugar by Amy Nash @houseofnasheats.

Rate & Review

Jeff

Mar 05, 2023

I made it according to the directions but the edges cracked did not use a water bath nothing was mentioned about one or was it over mixed.

Sweetalk member

Aug 28, 2022

I've never made a cheesecake before in my life. So I made this today for my mom's 76th birthday.
I don't have words for how fantastic it is. Very chocolatey, not too sweet, but very rich. I didn't have a problem with density, the batter seemed right, and came out so smooth. Stellar recipe, perfect instructions!

Sweetalk member

Jun 27, 2022

Made this cheesecake for my sister's birthday and it was hit amongst the family. I was really worried after reading the comments that the cheesecake would be too dense. I baked it as directed where it had a texture of a slightly more dense New York style cheesecake. However it was still very good, had a fudgey texture, good flavour, not overly sweet, and my family loved it which was a giant relief. Instead of cherry pie pilling, I made my own cherry compote which complimented the cheesecake very well.

Sweetalk member

May 13, 2021

I did everything according to the instructions, but it seems like something wasn't right. There was no chance that I would be able to pour the batter into the pan, it was WAY too thick.. It ended up very, very dense.