Chocolate Cheesecake

[Mama Mangia]

Chocolate Cheesecake

For the crust

2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling

3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup whipping cream
4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

For the topping

Chocolate ice cream syrup


1. Crush the graham crackers. Mix the crumbs with the sugar and melted butter in a nine or ten-inch springform pan. Press the mixture into a crust across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Put the crust in the refrigerator to set up while you prepare the filling.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the cream cheese with the paddle attachment of your stand-type mixer set at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about five minutes. Add the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, salt, vanilla, and gently cream together until smooth. Do not over beat. Too much air in the filling will cause the cake to sink and crack.

3. With your mixer on the low setting, drizzle in the melted chocolate and mix until combined. (If your filling is too cold, some of the chocolate may set up leaving chocolate flecks in the filling. That's okay; the cheesecake will not be compromised and the flecks are actually quite attractive.)

4. Pour the cream cheese filling into the crust. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden and the center of the cake is just barely jiggly. Because it is not as thick, a ten-inch cheesecake will bake more quickly than a nine.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for ten minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Remove the ring and let the cheesecake cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours.

6. Prior to serving, drizzle the cheesecake with chocolate syrup.