This rich, creamy, decadent dark triple-chocolate cheesecake is gluten-free! There is no need for a water bath. I've made it several times, and it has never split.
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This is a more extravagant dessert than I usually make. Normally, I keep processed ingredients to a minimum, so it's surprising to see Oreo cookies in here, even though they are gluten-free. I made the exception for my daughter's birthday request.
If you prefer a completely-from-scratch gluten-free dessert recipe, you might try my carrot cake, applesauce spice cake, or apple pie.
If chocolate isn't the kind of cheesecake you're looking for, you might like cranberry cheesecake or pumpkin cheesecake.
Plan Ahead
While this is not a difficult baked chocolate cheesecake recipe to make, a little planning and forethought will lead to a more successful outcome.
Set out your ingredients early to allow them to come to room temperature. Cold, hard butter and cream cheese don't beat well! Adding other cold ingredients to the mixture could also chill them too much.
Plan to leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool slowly for a couple of hours after baking it.
Then, plan to chill your cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight to make and add the chocolate topping the next day. You'll want to chill the cheesecake with the chocolate topping, too, but that doesn't take as long.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese - Use full-fat cream cheese in blocks, not the soft kind in tubs.
- Raw sugar - I have also made this successfully with coconut sugar.
- Bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate - Semi-sweet chocolate is a little sweeter than bittersweet. It's what I usually use in my chocolate ganache. However, you could use all of one or all of the other, depending on how sweet you like things. I've given a variation in the quantity of chocolate to allow for different sizes of packages. Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chunks also work fine in this recipe.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and wrap the outside to catch any leaks.
Pulse Oreo cookies a few times in a food processor. With it running on low, pour in melted butter.
Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan and up the sides a little.
Melt the chocolate in hot coffee. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.
Beat cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, and then the liquid chocolate mixture.
Pour that batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes.
Leave the cheesecake in the oven for a couple of more hours with the door ajar.
Refrigerate overnight. Prepare and pour on the chocolate ganache. Chill again.
Hint: A secret to avoiding cracking with this gluten-free chocolate cheesecake recipe is to allow the cake to cool very slowly after the oven is turned off and opened just a little. I find that an oven mitt propped in the door to keep it from closing works perfectly.
Substitutions
As mentioned in the Ingredient notes, bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate are interchangeable according to your preference. Chocolate chunks have worked for me in place of solid chocolate, too.
This whole cheesecake, except for the crust, is naturally gluten-free. If you don't need a gluten-free chocolate crust, regular Oreo cookies would work fine, of course.
Variations
For a cane sugar sensitivity, I have made a coconut sugar version of this recipe. I used unsweetened chocolate, replaced the raw cane sugar with coconut sugar, and added more coconut sugar to the melting unsweetened chocolate. Then, I set aside, baked, and served a portion without any crust.
What to Serve with Chocolate Cheesecake
We enjoy our rich, dark chocolate cheesecake with
- whipped cream,
- vanilla ice cream, and/or
- fresh berries such as raspberries or strawberries.
Meal Prep
Read this entire recipe over before you begin. This cake is not difficult to make at all, and the results are practically guaranteed, but a review will be most helpful. You will note that you need to allow ingredients to come to room temperature, possibly chop some chocolate, and start at least a day before you want to serve the cheesecake.
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Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. In this case, this pan that I found on Amazon would make the process even easier! It's a sturdy, nonstick pan with a leakproof system that eliminates the need for wrapping with foil. I'm putting it on my wishlist!
Storage
Store leftover chocolate cheesecake in a sealed container in the refrigerator for two or three days.
It also freezes well. I suggest freezing cake in slices placed with parchment paper and a little room between them for individual removal and quicker thawing.
Top tip
Don't beat the batter too fast or any longer than necessary. This, along with slow cooling, helps to keep your cheesecake from splitting.
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Recipe
Chocolate Cheesecake
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
Crust
- 25 Gluten-free Oreo cookies
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Filling
- 24 ounces full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 10-12 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate
- ¼ cup hot coffee
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
Ganache Topping
- 4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Press aluminum foil tightly around the outside to keep it from leaking.(Some springform pans come with a leakproof pan protector, which eliminates the need for the foil.)
Crust
- In a food processor, process Oreo cookies until they form fine crumbs. Slowly drizzle in melted butter. Stop the machine when it is all combined.25 Gluten-free Oreo cookies4 tablespoons butter
- Press the crumbs into the bottom and a little up the sides of the springform pan. Set it into the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.
Filling
- Chop the chocolate fine enough to facilitate easy melting.10-12 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate
- Over low heat, melt the chocolate with the hot coffee. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.¼ cup hot coffee3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder1 teaspoon vanilla extract½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ (163℃).
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. This may take 3 to 5 minutes.24 ounces full-fat cream cheese
- Add the sour cream and continue beating until it's all mixed in.¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- Beat in the sugar.1 cup raw sugar
- Beat in the liquid chocolate-coffee mixture just until it is all incorporated.
- Add the eggs, blending them in completely. You may need to stop a time or two to scrape down the sides with a spatula, so everything gets blended in. Avoid overmixing, which could cause your cheesecake to crack.5 large eggs
- Spread this batter over the crust and bake for 70 to 80 minutes. The cheesecake should look a little jiggly in the middle but not be runny.At the end of the cooking time, turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar, and allow the cheesecake to cool in there for two hours. Then, refrigerate the cake for 4 hours to overnight.
Ganache Topping
- If the chocolate is not already in small pieces, chop it finely.4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
- Heat the cream in a saucepan over low-medium until it's steaming but NOT boiling (145℉/63℃). Turn off the heat.½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Add the chocolate to the steamy cream. Cover the pan to keep the warmth in. Let it sit for a few minutes for the chocolate to melt. Then, stir it all together until it's smoothly blended.
Assembly
- Remove the side ring from the springform pan.
- Carefully spread the soft ganache smoothly over the top of the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides in places.
- Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator to firm up the topping until it is time to slice and serve it.
Notes
- not overbeating the filling
- not beating the filling at a high speed
- allowing the cake to cool slowly in the oven
Diana Beal says
I made this for my daughter’s birthday and it was a hit! So delicious. Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe. My GF family members especially loved this as well as everyone else!
Cathy Brak says
I'm so glad you like it. Happy birthday to your daughter! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Cathy says
This cheesecake is a special treat at our house!