Mary berry Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake
This has been a very relaxing week in my household. The kids have been out of school, I’ve been sleeping in and completely slacking on house work. It feels like forever since the last time I felt so free to be lazy. Needless to say, I’m feeling very refreshed and ready to take on new projects. Anytime the weather gets cold, I’m bound to get the baking bug and this week was no exception. It has been freezing! I barely left the house unless I absolutely had to. I asked my daughter what she was in the mood for and of course she begged me to make one of my Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes. It’s my favorite cheesecake but I told her I’d have to come up with something a little different so that I could share it with you. We decided to keep it simple and came up with our version of Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake.
I can remember a time when I was very intimidated to make a homemade cheesecake. This recipe is so simple, I believe anyone can successfully pull it off with ease. My daughter and I settled on a chocolate crust made from chocolate graham crackers and dark chocolate cocoa. The creaminess of the filling and the dark chocolate crust together makes me think of Oreo cookies. It’s divine!
I decided to put a layer of raspberry pie filling in the middle, but this is optional of course. I added it because it happened to be in my pantry and raspberries are my favorite fruit to pair with cheesecake. Especially cheesecake with chocolate!
The ganache is very easy to make as well. Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl, pop it in the microwave for one minute and stir. Let the ganache cool before you pour it over the top of the cheesecake. Make sure you let a little drip down the sides for a beautiful dramatic effect.The result is a rich, luscious, creamy Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake that you’ll be proud to serve!
Need a spring-form pan? This is the one that I use : Nordic Ware Leak Proof Springform Pan, 10-Cup, 9-Inch, Red (affiliate link)
Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake
- 1 stick butter, salted
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate graham crackers, crushed
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
- 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 oz. dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup raspberry pie filling (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375° and line a spring-form pan with parchment paper
- In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave and then set aside to cool
- Once the butter has cooled, beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract with a fork or whisk
- Add the chocolate graham crackers, cocoa powder and light brown sugar
- Stir together until fully combined
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the spring-form pan making sure that you press it half way up the sides of the pan
- Bake for 10 minutes and remove
- Turn down oven temperature to 320°
- Using a stand mixer (or electric mixer), beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add the sour cream, corn starch and vanilla extract and beat until well combined
- Pour over crust and spread it evenly with a spatula
- Bake for one hour
- Remove from oven and let cool on counter-top for one hour. Cheesecake will be jiggly in the middle. This is normal
- Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 3 hours
- After this, Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a medium microwave safe bowl
- Now Heat in the microwave on high for one minute
- Remove and stir until the chocolate and heavy cream are fully combined
- If you are using a filling, spread it over the center of the cheesecake at this time, before you put the ganache on the cheesecake
- Pour the ganache over the cheesecake letting it fall over the sides
- Place the cheesecake into the refrigerator for thirty minutes to an hour for the ganache to set up
