Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

A rich, creamy chocolate orange cheesecake that combines the bright, citrusy flavor of orange zest and orange oil with a luxuriously smooth chocolate filling. This decadent cheesecake has an Oreo cookie crust and is dressed up with a decorative cocoa stencil and crowned with dried oranges. This cheesecake recipe uses a lower temperature oven to ensure no cheesecake cracking occurs!

Whenever I think of orange and chocolate together, I remember the foil wrapped Terry's chocolate oranges made of chocolate wedges attached at the middle. This orange chocolate cheesecake is my way of capturing all the best parts of those chocolates in one decadent dessert.

I've always loved the combination of orange and chocolate. Dried orange slices dipped in dark chocolate, chocolate orange truffles, a simple one layer chocolate orange cake... Juicy sweet citrus pairs so well with the creamy flavor of chocolate.

This chocolate orange cheesecake recipe has the formal presence for a holiday table, but would be equally welcome in warmer months (with a generous spoonful of orange liqueur spiked whipped cream). It's incredibly rich, yet zesty and fresh.

If you love cheesecake, you might also like this strawberry Eton mess cheesecake, or this gingerbread cheesecake.

Ingredients

* See recipe card for detailed list of ingredients and quantities.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE CRUST

Oreo cookies, ground - Use Oreos or other filled chocolate sandwich cookies. Making crumbs from Oreos is easiest using a food processor. However, my grandma always put them in a bag and crushed them by hand with a rolling pin. Use cookies with a standard amount of filling, not double or thin varieties.

Alternatively, use my recipe for homemade chocolate wafer cookie crust.

Unsalted butter - Melted butter serves as the binder for the crust. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total quantity of salt in the recipe.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

Cream cheese - Cream cheese is the key element that provides the taste, tang and creaminess that we know and love in cheesecake. I use full fat cream cheese for the rich texture and flavor it provides.

Brown sugar - adds a bit of caramel flavor along with sweetness.

Granulated sugar - provides sweetness

Eggs - Provide richness and thickening structure to the cheesecake.

Sour cream - is added to cheesecake to soften the cream cheese and provide moisture content.

Vanilla extract - For added flavor.

Orange flavoring - I use orange oil, which is concentrated and really helps achieve a powerful citrus burst. I recommend Simply Organic brand. For extracts, try Nielsen Massey and Penzey's.

Orange zest - Wash your orange and use a microplane or fine toothed grater to zest the orange. Avoid grating the white pith as it adds a bitter taste.

FOR THE GANACHE TOPPING AND COCOA DECORATION:

Dark chocolate - The ganache topping is made with good quality dark chocolate. I use a 72% dark chocolate bar, which is on the darker end. I try to avoid using chocolate chips, as they often contain fillers intended to prevent them from melting and losing shape.

Heavy cream - For the ganache, use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Do not substitute with milk, half and half, or other similar consistency non-dairy milks. They don't have the fat content required to create a thick ganache.

Cocoa powder - To create a pattern on the cheesecake. I used natural cocoa powder for a warmer, slightly more red-orange tone to compliment the fruit. Dutch (alkalized) cocoa is darker brown in color. Dust the cheesecake with cocoa powder within a few hours of serving so that it doesn't begin to absorb moisture from the cake.

Dried Orange Slices - Find the recipe for homemade dried orange slices here, complete with the option to dip them in chocolate.

Make in advance

It's possible (and quite helpful) to make the cheesecake in advance and add the final touches shortly prior to serving. This will ensure maximum freshness. Here are some details regarding the timing for each element:

You can make the cheesecake with Oreo crust several days in advance and keep it well wrapped in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the full-fat version of this homemade cheesecake after it is baked and fully cooled. Run a knife around the inside of the springform pan to loosen the cheesecake. Remove the sides of the pan.

Wrap the cheesecake and cheesecake pan base carefully with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. Defrost the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Chocolate ganache - I prefer to make the ganache when I'm ready to pour it on the cheesecake. However, you can make it in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Gently warm the ganache over a double boiler or by 15 second increments in the microwave to return it to a just warm enough, pourable consistency.

Add the cocoa powder stencil and dried oranges only a few hours before serving to ensure that they remain fresh. If applied too early, the cocoa powder can begin to absorb moisture from the ganache and cheesecake.

Once you apply the cocoa stencil, you must leave the cheesecake uncovered as foil or plastic wrap would mar the surface. You can store it for a few hours unexposed in the refrigerator. I wouldn't leave it uncovered overnight as it will begin to dry out and might start to crack.

Substitutions

• Cream Cheese - If you prefer, you can make a lighter cheesecake by substituting American Neufchatel cheese in place of full fat cream cheese.

• Sour cream is added to cheesecake to soften the cream cheese and provide moisture content. You can substitute full fat Greek yogurt in its place if you'd like.

Note that these two substitutions will lower the fat content and increase the water content of the cheesecake. If you wish to freeze the cheesecake, I recommend sticking with full fat ingredients.

Decorative stencil

If you have a decorative stencil on hand at home, use it to dust the top of the cheesecake with cocoa powder. If not, you can use regular household items to stand in for a store bought stencil.

I used a fine mesh air fryer tray from my countertop oven (similar to this one) to create this stencil. You can also make a design using a metal cooling rack, a piece of lace, a paper doily, mesh from a bag of citrus, or strips of parchment paper laid parallel to each other.

Water bath

A hot water bath provides humidity and steam that helps ensure the delicate, egg-heavy batter of the cheesecake rises evenly and doesn't bake too quickly on the exterior. A water bath, or bain-marie, is a worthwhile step that I highly encourage when baking this cheesecake.

In order to cook the cheesecake batter evenly, wrap the springform pan base and sides in aluminum foil. Ensure the foil extends up the sides as high as possible. Place the pan in the oven to bake within a larger pan filled partway with hot water.

Tip: I like to use an 18 inch (46 cm) heavy duty aluminum foil roll when I wrap the bottom of springform pans for water baths. The roll is more than wide enough to cover the base and sides with one piece. This helps avoid possible water entry via foil seams. If you only have a standard 12 inch (30 cm) foil roll, consider adding more than one layer to help ensure the foil layer is watertight.

Storage

You can freeze the full-fat version of this homemade cheesecake after it is baked and fully cooled. Run a knife around the inside of the springform pan to loosen the cheesecake. Remove the sides of the pan.

Wrap the cheesecake and cheesecake pan base carefully with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. To defrost the cheesecake, place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, or set out on the counter for 2-4 hours.

Store leftovers in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to a week. If you'd like to keep leftovers longer, slice into individual portions, wrap well, and place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you substitute Neufchatel cheese for full fat cream cheese, or Greek yogurt for the sour cream, note that these ingredients have a higher water content. Freezing the cheesecake may negatively impact the texture.

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