Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake is a creamy coffee cheesecake with an oreo cookie crust. The coffee flavored cheesecake filling is made with strong espresso powder, and the creamy cheesecake topped with a chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and chocolate espresso beans.
Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake Recipe
Homemade cheesecake has forever and always been my favorite dessert. Between the creamy, smooth texture and the sweet yet tangy flavor (all paired with a graham cracker or cookie crust), I’m a goner.
Give me cheesecake and espresso? You won’t be able to get rid of me. I’ll be your friend for life.
As much as I adore classic cheesecake, I was in the mood for something much richer, much darker, and much more intense. A coffee flavored cheesecake, made with rich espresso, topped with chocolate ganache, and baked in an oreo cookie crust was exactly what I was craving.
My fellow cheesecake lovers? This chocolate glazed espresso cheesecake is for us.
What Is Espresso Cheesecake?
- Chocolate espresso cheesecake is a classic cheesecake filling flavored with espresso. A lot of recipes call for instant espresso or brewed espresso, but we use espresso powder to flavor this coffee cheesecake.
- Instant espresso granules have a very bitter, very specific flavor that I don’t like. It doesn’t taste like authentic espresso.
- Using brewed espresso would dramatically change the texture of the cheesecake, thus I opted for espresso powder. Espresso powder is full of espresso flavor without being overly bitter. It’s the perfect ingredient for any and all coffee cheesecake recipes.
- To send this chocolate espresso cheesecake recipe over the top, it’s made with an oreo crust, has a chocolate ganache on top, and is finished off with homemade whipped cream and crushed espresso beans.
Some of my other favorite cheesecake recipes include these Mini Nutella Cheesecakes, this Classic Mini Cheesecake version, and this Gluten Free Vanilla Cheesecake!
What Do We Need To Make Espresso Cheesecake?
Ingredients:
- Oreo Cookies: I love cheesecake with oreo cookies as the crust. It makes the flavors in this espresso cheesecake pop—it’s sweet, crunchy, and the chocolate pairs perfectly with the coffee flavored cheesecake.
- Unsalted Butter: I prefer unsalted butter when I’m baking because then I get to control the salt content.
- Espresso Powder: We use espresso powder in both the cheesecake filling and the crust. I wanted a bold espresso flavor, and it’s achieved.
- Cream Cheese: I highly suggest using Philadelphia cream cheese. In comparison to store brands, Philadelphia cream cheese is richer, smoother, and tangier.
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar: The extra molasses in the brown sugar enhances the espresso chocolate cheesecake flavors.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Chocolate: Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate (chips or chopped chocolate bars) for the ganache. A deep chocolate flavor pairs well with espresso.
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Instant Pudding: Instant pudding (vanilla or white chocolate) is used to stabilize whipped cream, meaning the whipped cream is not going to melt.
- Powdered Sugar
- Chocolate Espresso Beans: These are optional, as there is already so much coffee in this recipe, but it does add extra texture.
How To Make This Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe:
Making a cheesecake from scratch is very simple, especially this coffee cheesecake recipe because you do not need to make a water bath. I repeat—this is a cheesecake recipe without a water bath!
- Crust: Mix Oreo crumbs with melted butter and espresso powder. Once combined, press the crust into a pie plate or a springform pan.
- Filling: Using a hand mixer or standing mixer, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together. Once combined, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and espresso powder. Continue to mix until the filling is smooth.
- Bake: Pour the filling into the chocolate cookie crust, and smooth the filling in an even layer. Bake until the cheesecake is set and the middle jiggles slightly. Cool completely.
- Ganache: Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, warm the heavy whipping cream until just below boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let stand for a few minutes. Whisk the mixture together until smooth. Pour ganache over the cheesecake, and spread with a rubber spatula until it’s in an even layer. Allow the ganache to set.
- Whipped Cream: Whip heavy whipping cream and instant pudding together until soft peaks form. Add in vanilla extact and powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe whipped cream on top of the cooled ganache. Sprinkle with crushed espresso beans, if desired.
How To Make Cheesecake Without Water Bath:
Did you know I’ve never made a cheesecake with a water bath before? Utilizing my favorite cheesecake recipe as the base of this chocolate espresso cheesecake, we don’t need to bake it with a water bath.
Instead, once the cheesecake is completely baked, let it cool in the oven with the oven door cracked open. Often referred to as the “carry over” method, this let’s the cheesecake slowly cool to room temperature, which keeps cheesecake from cracking. Most cheesecake cracks come from a dramatic change in temperature.
Additionally, we’re making a chocolate espresso cheesecake with ganache, so even if you were to have a small crack or two, the ganache is going to cover it up.
Finally, the texture of this cheesecake is perfect as it is—it doesn’t need the water bath for texture purposes. It’s incredibly smooth and creamy without being wet or mushy.
Proper Storage:
- Cheesecakes do need to be refrigerated. For this recipe, once the cheesecake has come to room temperature, I pour on the ganache on top, then refrigerate for 4-6 hours, if not longer. Refrigerating cheesecake lets it firm up properly, and warm cheesecake does not taste nearly as good.
- Before serving, top with whipped cream and chocolate covered espresso beans. Because the whipped cream is stabilized, it can sit at room temperature without melting.
- Once the cheesecake has been properly chilled, it can sit at room temperature for a bit before it needs to be refrigerated once again.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Crust: If you don’t have oreos, you can easily make this with graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, or even cinnamon graham crackers. Golden oreos or vanilla wafers would work as well.
- Whipped Cream: If you don’t have instant pudding (I suggest using instant vanilla pudding or instant white chocolate pudding), you can omit from the whipped cream. The whipped cream just won’t be stabilized, so it can’t sit at room temperature for very long.
- Ganache: I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate. If you don’t want to make this chocolate cheesecake with ganache, top it with salted caramel sauce.
Quick and Easy Chocolate Coffee Cheesecake Tips:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature before making the cheesecake batter. If your cream cheese and eggs are too cold, the batter is going to be lumpy.
- Cool: Let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door cracked for about 1 hour. Then, let it continue to cool to room temperature on the counter.
- Center: The center of your espresso cheesecake will most likely sink a bit, and that is completely normal.
- Ganache: I prefer to top the cheesecake with ganache after the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, and then I refrigerate it for at least 4-6 hours. The ganache will firm up as it chills.
- Whipped Cream: You can pipe the whipped cream on top of the ganache once the ganache is set. You can chill the ganache cheesecake until the ganache is firm, then top with whipped cream, and continue to chill until ready to serve.
- Or, you can chill the cheesecake until you’re ready to serve, then top with the whipped cream.
Other Creamy Cheesecake Recipes:
If you can’t get enough cheesecake, these delicious recipes should be next on your list:
- Classic Cheesecake
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- Mini Chocolate Turtle Cheesecakes
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Caramel Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- 24-25 Oreos (I prefer Double Stuf)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 2 (8oz) cream cheese bricks, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate (chips or chopped chocolate)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tsp instant pudding (vanilla or white chocolate)*
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, combine the oreo cookies and espresso powder, and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs.
- Pour in the melted butter and continue to pulse until completely combined.
Press the crust into a 9” pie plate or in a 9” springform pan.**
- Set aside.
- With a standing mixer or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Then, add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat until combined.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and espresso powder. Beat until combined.
- Lastly, pour the filling into the prepared crust. With a rubber spatula, smooth the filling into an even layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken.
- Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door, and allow to cool for 60 minutes.
- Then, remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to continue cooling until it reaches room temperature.
- Heat heavy whipping cream until it is just below a boil (in the microwave or on the stove).
- In a heat safe bowl, pour the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate and allow the mixture to sit a few minutes. (The hot cream melts the chocolate.)
- Whisk the mixture until smooth.
- Pour the ganache on top of the cooled cheesecake, spreading in an even layer.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4-6 hours.
- When ready to serve the cheesecake, make the whipped cream.
- With a hand mixer or standing mixer, whisk heavy whipping cream and instant pudding until soft peaks form.
- Next, add in vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Using a piping bag and tip, pipe on the whipped cream. (Depending upon how much whipped cream you want on your cheesecake, you may have leftover whipped cream.)
- If desired, top the whipped cream with crushed chocolate covered espresso beans.
- Slice and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.
*Instant pudding stabilizes the whipped cream, allowing it to retain its shape for a long time. However, you may omit the instant pudding. You can still pipe the whipped cream, it just won't keep its shape as long.
**If using a pie dish, I like to press the crumbs all the way up the sides of the dish; if using a springform pan, I just press the crust into the bottom of the dish.
Here are some other coffee and cream cheese desserts to try next:
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