Sarah's Rich Chocolate Cheesecake

Christmas is an opportunity for my whole cooking family to try new recipes. We pot-luck everything, and usually two or three people bring a dessert along with another course. So, we have a dessert buffet!

 My sister Sarah brought this chocolate cheesecake for one of these buffets. We all tasted it and fell on the floor. fainting at the dense, chocolate richness of it.


Ingredients:

25 Oreo cookies, crushed fine
6 T butter, melted
1 1//2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
3 eggs
8 oz. semisweet chocolate,
melted and cooled
2 t cocoa
1 t vanilla extract
2 C sour cream

For the crust: Mix ingredients thoroughly and press into a well-buttered 10-inch springform pan. Chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy and smooth. Add sugar and beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and continue beating until very smooth and well blended. Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a crack form on top. Cake may appear t be too liquid, but it will become firm when chilled. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 5 hours.

Note: I used 4 oz. Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chocolate and 4 oz. Nestle baking chocolate. Ghirardelli has a fine reputation for being a good bittersweet, but I find that using only bittersweet makes for a cake that isn't sweet enough. Valrhona and Callebaut are also renowned, but they're too expensive for moi! You can always use just Nestle or Guittard semisweet if you like...works fine! This is really great served with whipped cream on top (just whip 2 cups cream till peaks form, adding 2 T powdered sugar at the end along with 1 t vanilla extract). Or, serve it on the side. I like to decorate the top with a pastry bag, but it's not necessary.