Rich, delicious dark chocolate cheesecake on a pecan caramel crust. Our cheesecake is dotted with white chocolate, milk chocolate, pecan coconut, and dark chocolate coconut frostings. This is very rich. A small sliver of cake is the perfect serving size. The bites slowly melt in your mouth.
Melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder give this dinner party dessert an incredibly rich chocolate flavor. The pecan caramel crust is the perfect base for the chocolate cheesecake filling.
This chocolate cheesecake sits on a pecan caramel crust. Two full cups of whole or half pecans are processed until finely ground. The pecans are combined with melted butter, caramel sauce, vanilla bean paste, and light brown sugar. The crust mixture is pressed into the bottom of a parchment lined springform pan. The crust is prebaked in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes to solidify, and then cooled completely.
The dark chocolate cream cheese cheesecake starts with melted dark chocolate. Melting the chocolate can be accomplished in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stovetop. A high-quality chocolate will deliver the best flavor. I generally choose a nice bar chocolate for this recipe, but chocolate chips will work here. Dark chocolate around the 70% cocoa mark is usually my choice, but a semisweet chocolate works perfectly fine.
Softened cream cheese and sugar are beaten in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla bean paste are added to the cheese mixture and beaten well to incorporate. The slightly cooled melted chocolate is added to the cheesecake batter and beaten until the batter is a lovely consistent medium brown color.
The cream cheese should be at room temperature so it mixes well with the other ingredients and doesn’t leave any dots of white cream cheese in the batter. The cheesecake batter may have some air bubbles. I like to gently bang my stand mixer bowl on a potholder or kitchen towel to facilitate the air coming to the top of the batter, and the bubbles breaking.
The cheesecake batter is poured over the cooled crust and spread evenly with an offset spatula to ensure a level top. I bake the cheesecake in a water bath. I double wrap the outside of springform pan in heavy duty foil, ensuring the foil extends well up the sides on the pan. I fold any excess foil back to the edge of the pan, so the top is wide open to the heat of the oven. The springform pan is placed in my roasting pan. The roasting pan is placed in the preheated oven and enough warm water is added to the roasting pan to travel about 1-inch up the side of the foil wrapped springform pan.
The cake is baked in a preheated oven until firm, 45 to 50 minutes. I shut off the oven and leave the cake inside while the oven cools, for another 30 minutes. The cheesecake is carefully removed from the water bath, foil removed from the outside of the pan, and cooled in the pan on a wire rack until room temperature. Cover the cheesecake pan with foil and refrigerate at least several hours, preferably overnight.
Decorate with frosting as I have done, or garnish to your own desire.
We love the rich creaminess of cheesecake, check out our vanilla bean cheesecake and caramel apple cheesecake.
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Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel Crust
Equipment
- 1 (9-inch) springform pan. 1 large roasting pan.
Ingredients
Pecan Caramel Crust:
- 220 grams whole pecans (2 cups)
- 30 grams unsalted butter (2 tablespoons), melted
- 15 grams caramel sauce (1 tablespoon)
- 4 grams vanilla bean paste (1 teaspoon)
- 42 grams light brown sugar (3 tablespoons)
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake:
- 110 grams dark chocolate (4 ounces), chopped
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 130 grams granulated sugar (2/3 cup), blended superfine
- 15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (2 tablespoons)
- 100 grams egg (2 large)
White Chocolate Buttercream:
- 56 grams unsalted butter (1/4 cup OR 1/2 stick), softened
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 15 grams heavy cream (1 tablespoon), cold
- 40 grams white chocolate chips (1/4 cup), melted and cooled
Milk Chocolate Buttercream:
- 56 grams unsalted butter (1/4 cup OR 1/2 stick), softened
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 15 grams heavy cream (1 tablespoon), cold
- 40 grams milk chocolate chips (1/4 cup), melted and cooled
Pecan Coconut Buttercream:
- 56 grams unsalted butter (1/4 cup OR 1/2 stick), softened
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 15 grams caramel sauce (2 tablespoons)
- 8 grams ground pecans (1 tablespoon)
- 8 grams ground coconut (1 tablespoon)
Dark Chocolate Coconut Buttercream:
- 56 grams unsalted butter (1/4 cup OR 1/2 stick), softened
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 15 grams heavy cream (1 tablespoon), cold
- 40 grams semisweet chocolate chips (1/4 cup), melted and cooled
- 8 grams ground coconut (1 tablespoon)
Instructions
Pecan Caramel Crust:
- Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper circle.
- Wrap outside of springform pan with heavy duty foil.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Add the whole pecans to food processor. Process until finely ground.
- Add the melted butter, caramel sauce, vanilla bean paste, and light brown sugar, to food processor. Process until well combined.
- Press the pecan mixture into the bottom of prepared 9-inch springform pan.
- Bake crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove springform pan from oven and place on wire rack. Cool completely.
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Add dark chocolate to small heatproof bowl. Place bowl over small saucepan of simmering water. Heat and stir with small spatula until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Cool chocolate briefly. Set aside.
- Add cream cheese and granulated sugar to stand mixer. Using paddle attachment, beat on medium low speed until creamy and smooth. About 4 minutes.
- Add cocoa powder and beat on low for 1 minute. Scrape down bowl, if necessary.
- Add eggs and vanilla bean paste. Beat on low for 2 minutes.
- Add slightly cooled melted dark chocolate. Beat on low for 1 minute.
- Pour cheesecake filling over pecan caramel crust. Smooth with offset spatula, if necessary.
- Bake 45 minutes, or until center is just set.
- Turn off oven. Do not open oven door for 30 minutes.
- Remove cheesecake from oven. Place on wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour.
- Refrigerate cheesecake several hours, preferably overnight.
- Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen.
- Remove from springform pan.
White Chocolate Buttercream:
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and beat on low until incorporated.
- Add cooled, melted white chocolate chips. Beat on low for 1 minute, or until melted chocolate is fully incorporated and frosting is light and airy.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream:
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and beat on low until incorporated.
- Add cooled, melted milk chocolate chips. Beat on low for 1 minute, or until melted chocolate is fully incorporated and frosting is light and airy.
Pecan Coconut Buttercream:
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and caramel sauce. Beat on low until incorporated.
- Add ground pecans and ground coconut. Beat on low until evenly distributed.
Dark Chocolate Coconut Buttercream:
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and beat on low until incorporated.
- Add cooled, melted semesweet chocolate chips. Beat on low for 1 minute, or until melted chocolate is fully incorporated and frosting is light and airy.
- Add ground coconut and beat on low until evenly distributed.
