Castle Crashers: Chocolate Cheesecake

Saving four princesses is going to make you quite the hungry adventurer. Your little bird friend might be handing you a piece of fruit or two but that is just not going to be enough. A wedding might be the perfect place to find some extra delicious treats. Of course there will be cake but it would be rude of you to take a bite of that before the bride and groom. Why not take a big bite out of that cheesecake sitting at that table! I love cheesecake and if I can find an excuse to make more I figure why not. This week I bring a triple layered chocolate cheesecake recipe. It may sound a bit intimidating but don’t worry. You will be making one filling base and flavoring a third of it differently. This is currently my favorite cheesecake to make and I highly recommend you give it a try.

Required Equipment: food processor, stand mixer, springform pan, blender, mesh strainer, deep baking pan, sauce pan, whisk
Ingredients:
Crust:
– 4 tbsp butter, melted
– 1 ½ cups chocolate cookies

Filling:
– 32 oz cream cheese
– 1 ¼ cup sugar
– 4 eggs
– 1 ½ tsp vanilla
– 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
– 3 oz white chocolate, melted

Top Layer:
– ¼ cup whipping cream
– 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
– 1 tbsp sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a food processor, place the chocolate cookies and bring them to a crumble. Once crumbled, add the melted butter and mix until well combined.

Take the springform pan and wrap the bottom and sides in aluminum foil. This will help ease the heat on the cheesecake. Take the cookie crumble and tightly pack it in the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, begin creaming your cream cheese in your mixer. Once softened add the sugar and vanilla extract. Add one egg at a time and mix until it is all incorporated.

Once the crust is done baking, remove it from the oven and lower the ovens temperature to 325°F. Take your filling base and move a little less than a third of it into a small bowl. Add the melted white chocolate to the small bowl. Add the melted dark chocolate to the stand mixer bowl and mix.

Take the springform pan and begin to layer the cheesecake. Start by placing half of the dark chocolate filling. Next add all of the white chocolate filling. Finally place the last half of the chocolate mixture. Place the springform pan into a deep baking tray and ladle in water until about half way. Place it in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Let the cheesecake cool for at least an hour. After the hour passes, take some time to make the last layer of this cheesecake. In a saucepan, over high heat, combine all the ingredients listed for the top layer and cook until the chocolate melts.

Pour the chocolate topping over the cheesecake and let it cool. Place the cooled cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning run a knife along the side of the springform pan and release the cheesecake! Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until you are going to serve it.