Three Layer Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

I know it seems like I have spent April baking cakes and cooking dinners, but it is the month of my dad's and mom's birthdays. Having made a Traditional Chocolate Cake for my dad recently, it was time to do something for my mom's birthday, which is today. I settled on a creation of my own: a three layer chocolate cheesecake. It has a nice digestive biscuits crust, a rich chocolate cream layer, a traditional cheesecake filling and a lighter sour cream vanilla topping. Even though it sounds like a lot, it's actually a very simple cake to make, that doesn't take many steps.

I made this late at night, so I didn't have the proper light, nor the patience to shoot the process, but I just couldn't not share this delicious cake with you.

click on the images for a bigger view

Ingredients: 

Crust
280 gr (9 ounces) of digestive biscuits
100 gr (1/2 cup) packed light brown sugar
150 gr (10 tablespoons) of melted unsalted butter

Ganache
350 ml ( 1 1/2 cups) whipping cream
400 gr (14 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Cream Cheese Filling
600 gr (20 ounces) of cream cheese, at room temperature
150 gr (3/4 cups) sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 eggs, large

Topping
360 ml (1 1/2 cups) sour cream
60 gr (1/3 cup) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Make Crust: Grind the digestive biscuits (you can use other cookies you like) and then add them together with the sugar into a bowl. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch-diameter spring form pan. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up the sides and bottom of pan.

Make Ganache: Bring 300 ml (1 cup) cream to simmer in large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Whip the rest of the cream (50 ml - 1/2 cup) until soft peaks form. Fold in the beaten cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. Pour over the crumbs in the pan and freeze for 30 minutes until ganache layer is firm.

Make Cream Cheese filling: Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 175°C (350°F). Using electric mixer, beat the cream cheese (I use Philadelphia) and sugar in a large bowl until blended. Scrape down bowl, making sure you get to the bottom, where little pockets of unmixed cream cheese love to hide. Beat in flour. Add the vanilla and lemon juice; beat into cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

Pour filling over cold ganache in crust — it will go nearly all of the way to the top, but that's how it should be. Place cheesecake on a baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center two inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 60 minutes. 

After baking cool the cake 15 minutes while preparing topping, but maintain the oven temperature.

Make Topping: Whisk sour cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a medium bowl to blend. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely. Make sure to do this gently, because if you just pour it over all at once you could crack the gentle top layer. Bake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack and let it cool. Refrigerate the cheesecake until cool, about three hours, but it's best when you leave it over night in the refrigerator.

I hope you enjoyed the post and that you liked the recipe. Are you cheesecake fans? If yes you will definitely enjoy this decadent version of it.