I had a request for a cheesecake on his birthday from my dad. I wasn't in the mood for something with a fruit topping, so this yummy cheesecake with a chocolate brownie crust topped with homemade chocolate ganache came into creation. It's a modification of my rustic cheesecake, but uses a modification of my favorite brownies as the crust. Topped with some of my favorite ganache, and it's a win-win for everyone! Enjoy!
Line a large 8 or 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper.
In a microwave-safe dish, melt at 50% power in 30 - 60 second increments, until melted:
3.5 oz high quality 60-70% dark chocolate
7 Tbsp butter
Add to chocolate/butter mixture:
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp white sugar
Mix in until smooth:
2 eggs
Finally, add and mix in thoroughly:
1 Tbsp brown rice flour OR Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
Pour in the brownie batter and bake 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven.
Prepare cheesecake batter. Beat in a mixture until smooth:
16 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 eggs
The batter should look light and fluffy. Carefully pour/spread over the brownie base.
Bake cheesecake at 350 F for about 35 minutes. While baking, prepare the sour cream topping. There will be some light brown spots on the top of your cheesecake, but this is OK.
While the cheesecake is baking, beat together:
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Immediately after baking your cheesecake for the 35 minutes, pour this sour cream mixture evenly over your cheesecake. Return to the oven and bake at 350 F for an additional 7 minutes. At this point, your cheesecake should be a little jiggly in the center, but mostly firm. You don't want to cook any longer.
Do NOT remove the cake from the oven at this point. Turn off the oven and open the door to the oven and let the hot cheesecake cool 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool at room temperature. Once it's cooled, you can place it in the refrigerator. You want it to chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. Yes, you can make this the day before!
Once your cheesecake is COMPLETELY cooled, you can remove it from the pan and remove the parchment paper. The bottom will be nice and firm, so you can transfer it to your serving platter.
To serve, you can make the chocolate ganache to drizzle over your cooled cheesecake. You can let this drizzle chill in the refrigerator or serve immediately. Enjoy!
Chocolate Ganache
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping/heavy cream
Remove from heat and mix in until smooth:
4 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate
Drizzle by spoon or place in a freezer ziploc and cut the corner off in order to pipe over cheesecake. You can also do a lighter drizzle and serve the warm ganache piped onto the side of your plate for a fancy presentation! Enjoy!
Brownie bottom, two layers of cheesecake, and a chilled ganache topping, ready to eat!
The cheesecake immediately after drizzling on the homemade ganache - serving it immediately like this would be delicious, too!
Cheesecake with a Chocolate Brownie Crust - gluten free
Preheat oven to 350 F.Line a large 8 or 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper.
In a microwave-safe dish, melt at 50% power in 30 - 60 second increments, until melted:
3.5 oz high quality 60-70% dark chocolate
7 Tbsp butter
Add to chocolate/butter mixture:
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp white sugar
Mix in until smooth:
2 eggs
Finally, add and mix in thoroughly:
1 Tbsp brown rice flour OR Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
Pour in the brownie batter and bake 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven.
Brownie batter, which bakes just a bit.
Prepare cheesecake batter. Beat in a mixture until smooth:
16 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 eggs
The batter should look light and fluffy. Carefully pour/spread over the brownie base.
Cheesecake batter, light and fluffy looking, then spread over the brownie base.
It really is rather unattractive at this point, but don't worry! You'll add your sour cream layer and it will look great!
While the cheesecake is baking, beat together:
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Immediately after baking your cheesecake for the 35 minutes, pour this sour cream mixture evenly over your cheesecake. Return to the oven and bake at 350 F for an additional 7 minutes. At this point, your cheesecake should be a little jiggly in the center, but mostly firm. You don't want to cook any longer.
Do NOT remove the cake from the oven at this point. Turn off the oven and open the door to the oven and let the hot cheesecake cool 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool at room temperature. Once it's cooled, you can place it in the refrigerator. You want it to chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. Yes, you can make this the day before!
Make sure you let it cool slowly, in an opened oven until removing it from the oven completely. This will avoid any cracks in your cheesecake as it cools.
Once your cheesecake is COMPLETELY cooled, you can remove it from the pan and remove the parchment paper. The bottom will be nice and firm, so you can transfer it to your serving platter.
Don't like this rustic-looking edge? No problem! If you line your pan neatly with a thin strip of paper, rather than having folds in it, you will end up with a neatly edged cheesecake. (I don't have patience for that sort of thing if I'm planning to drizzle chocolate over the top).
To serve, you can make the chocolate ganache to drizzle over your cooled cheesecake. You can let this drizzle chill in the refrigerator or serve immediately. Enjoy!
Chocolate Ganache
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping/heavy cream
Remove from heat and mix in until smooth:
4 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate
Drizzle by spoon or place in a freezer ziploc and cut the corner off in order to pipe over cheesecake. You can also do a lighter drizzle and serve the warm ganache piped onto the side of your plate for a fancy presentation! Enjoy!
You may drizzle the ganache however you like, but with children helping, we get a decadent amount drizzled on top. Yum!
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