Sometimes you just need a giant slice of Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake.

Originally Published 08/17/2021

This recipe is super simple and makes one of the best-tasting, silky smooth, creamy cheesecakes I’ve ever eaten!  The most difficult part about making this cheesecake is having the patience to wait for it to chill. We had family in town this last weekend so I jumped at the chance to make this dessert! Not that I couldn’t sit down and eat twelve slices by myself, but it’s always best if you’ve got people to share it with!

Besides eating this delicious Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, we took them on the General Jackson Showboat lunch cruise Friday afternoon. 

It’s something my husband has wanted to do for years, I’ve just been stubbornly dragging my feet about it for some reason. Turns out, it’s a cool experience and I would highly recommend it if you ever visit Nashville! Anyways, on to making this death-by-chocolate raspberry cheesecake!

Every good Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake deserves an Oreo crust.

So that’s where we’ll start! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray your springform pan with oil. The recipe for this cheesecake is based on a Triple Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo crust. In their recipe, they actually make the Oreo crust. So if you have Oreos in your pantry you can put 24 of them in a food processor until they’re finely ground, mix them with 1/4 cup of melted butter, and press them into the bottom of your springform pan. I cheated and simply bought an already-made Oreo crust. Who needs the mess of Oreo crumbs and to have to wash out the food processor? Just dump the premade Oreo crust in your springform, pat it evenly down all over the bottom of the pan, and bake it for 6 minutes to reset it. And your crust is done!

The Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake itself is not complicated either.

In your KitchenAid, blend 4 blocks of room-temperature cream cheese with 1.5 cups powdered sugar. Mix in 3 tbsp cocoa powder, then add 4 room-temp eggs one at a time. Stir in 10oz melted bittersweet chocolate chips (melt in microwave with 5-sec bursts, stirring to avoid burning). While mixing the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake batter, you don’t want to turn the mixer on any faster than low speed. Whipping air into the cheesecake batter by using a high mixing speed can cause the cheesecake to rise, fall, and then crack after it’s been baked.  Pour batter over crust in springform pan. And you’re ready to bake!

Next, you’re gonna do a little bain-marie, aka water bath.

Wrap the springform pan in foil, place it on a baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the oven, and then fill the baking sheet up about 3/4 of the way full with water.

Quick history lesson – bain-marie is French for Mary’s bath. An article on Wasserstrom says, 

“As it turns out, there was a Mary who lived somewhere between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D.. Mary was known as “Mary the Jewess” and “Mary the Prophetess” and she was an early alchemist. Unfortunately, none of Mary’s writings survived directly. Almost all of what we know of her comes from the writings of others who mention her work and ideas.

But her name lives on in the form of her invention. The first mention comes in the form of medieval Latin with the term “balneum Mariae” which translates to Mary’s bath. This morphed into the French equivalent of “bain-marie.” And it’s still in use today!” The water bath creates steam in your oven which helps to keep the cheesecake from cracking while baking. However, springform pans are not water-tight so be sure to wrap the bottom of the pan well to prevent your cheesecake from getting waterlogged during the process!

Next, bake the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake for 60 minutes.

After the 60 minutes is up, turn the oven off, don’t open the door though. Just let the cheesecake sit in there for around 30 minutes. Then you can open the door and let it sit with the door cracked for another 45 minutes. This prevents the cheesecake from getting shocked by cool air and then splitting open.

After sitting in the oven with the door cracked, you can finally get it out of the oven and start cooling it on a cooling rack. As soon as you get the cheesecake out of the oven, it’s time to make the raspberry chocolate ganache! (this is my favorite thing about this cheesecake!)

In a small saucepan, combine the 3/4 cup heavy cream, pint of fresh raspberries, 6oz dark chocolate chips, and 1 tbsp of granulated sugar. Cook this over medium-low heat until the chocolate chips are melted and the raspberries have broken down. After this, simply pour the raspberry chocolate ganache over the top of the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake while it’s still in its pan. And now… we do some more waiting. Told ya this would be the hardest part! Let the ganache cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes and then stick that cheesecake in the fridge!

Finally,

after 3-4 hours of chilling it’s time to slice up this masterpiece and take a bite!

Not gonna lie, sometimes I cheat and put it in the freezer to speed things along. If you’re making this for an event, it’s probably best to make it the day before so it has a good amount of time to set up in the fridge.

I like to top mine with a few more fresh raspberries! If you like whipped cream, that would be amazing too!

I hope you give this Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake recipe a try and are amazed by how easy it is to make something so decadently delicious! Let me know how it goes!?

Print Recipe

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

This easy-to-make Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is silky smooth, creamy, and decadently topped with a chocolate raspberry ganache.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 6 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12 slices

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Mixer
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Rubber Spatula
• Baking Sheet
• 10″ Springform Pan
• Small pot

Ingredients

Oreo Crust

• 1 6 oz Oreo Pie Crust

Chocolate Cheesecake

• 4 8 oz Packages of Cream Cheese room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 4 Eggs room temperature
• 10 oz Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache

• 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 pint Fresh Raspberries
• 6 oz Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar

Instructions

Oreo Crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 10″ springform pan. Pour the premade oreo crust out of its pin tin into the bottom of the springform pan. Gently pat it down until it evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Place it in the oven and bake the crust for 6 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before filling.

Chocolate Cheesecake

• In a heat-proof bowl, microwave 10oz of bittersweet chocolate chips until melted. Make sure to stir frequently and only melt for short amounts of time so the chocolate doesn’t seize up or burn.
• Add 4 room temperature blocks of cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to your mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined.
• Scrape down the sides and then add in the 3 tbsp of cocoa powder – mix on low until combined.
• Lastly, pour in the melted bittersweet chocolate and mix thoroughly.
• Once all the ingredients are combined, scoop the cheesecake batter into the springform pan. Use two sheets of tinfoil to wrap the bottom of the springform pan to keep any water from getting in. Place the springform pan ontop of a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet/ tin foil-wrapped springform pan in the oven on the middle rack. Carefully fill the baking sheet with water until it’s 3/4 of the way full. Close the oven and bake the cheesecake for 60 minutes.
• Once the 60 minutes is up, turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit with the oven door closed for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, crack the oven door open slightly and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for another 45 minutes. After this remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it continue cooling on a cooling rack.

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache

• After you have removed the cheesecake from the oven and placed it on the cooling rack, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat add 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 pint of fresh raspberries, 6oz of dark chocolate chips, and 1 tbsp of granulated sugar. Keep stirring until the chocolate has melted, the raspberries have broken down, and everything is combined. Remove from the heat and pour over the top of the cheesecake while it is still in the springform pan. Let the cheesecake/ganache cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes and then place it in the fridge.
• Let the cheesecake chill in the fridge for 3-4 hrs before serving or overnight. Serve topped with fresh raspberries and enjoy!

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