Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cheesecake
The ultimate chocolate cheesecake made with cocoa powder and melted chocolate and topped with creamy dulce de leche sauce and fresh berries.
Hellllloooooo friends! So excited to share this post with you guys! Two of my favorite things in life are chocolate & cheesecake soooo like why not make a chocolate cheesecake and then top it with dulce de leche goodness?!
I feel like chocolate is not as popular in the summertime, just because it’s generally associated with heavier desserts. But we can definitely fool our minds by topping it with a handful of fresh, mixed berries. Berries make every dessert become summer acceptable! & since it’s almost Fourth of July, let’s also top it with a cute sparkler if ya know what I mean.
How To Make Chocolate Cheesecake
Ok on to the important part of the post, how to make a chocolate cheesecake! It’s really not too different than regular cheesecake except that you add the chocolate & I added a little extra sugar to balance out chocolate’s bitterness. Most cheesecakes are made the same, beginning with creaming room temperature cream cheese with sugar. Then add eggs, vanilla, sour cream, etc. whatever other ingredients people use. Now you bake it for about 60-90 minutes, depending on the size. Allow to cool & then refrigerate.
Tips on making the best cheesecakes
- Always, always, always use room temperature ingredients. I know people like to ignore this step in recipes but in cheesecakes it is extra important. Using room temperature ingredients ensures that your batter comes together smoothly and quickly, incorporating as little air as possible. Air is the culprit for cracking, it gets trapped in the batter, makes the cheesecake rise a bit and then collapse once it’s removed from the heat.
- Use good quality cream cheese. I’ve literally never seen a recipe say to use anything other than full fat Philadelphia cream cheese. I’ve tried a low fat option and other brands and they never hold up quite the same.
- Slow temperature changes are super important for cheesecakes as well. You want to bake it at a lower temperature than most other cakes and then let it cool in the oven (turned off) for a while, then at room temperature and then chill it in the refrigerator.
What kind of chocolate to use for cheesecake
So if you can’t already tell from the photos, I used MY FAVORITE cocoa powder (& like isn’t it everyone’s favvv??) Rodelle’s Gourmet Baking Cocoa. Rodelle is one of my top brands to use for all baking products because their quality is just on point & their cocoa definitely lives up to my expectations every time!
I love that both of Rodelle’s baking cocoas, the Gourmet Baking Cocoa & the Organic Baking Cocoa, are dutch processed, making them slightly less bitter & giving a richer flavor & darker color. This is important with cheesecake because you don’t want to change the texture by adding extra cocoa powder. I also added 1 cup melted dark chocolate because I find that combining cocoa powder & chocolate always yields a better flavor, texture & color to baked goods.
Now that I’ve rambled on about chocolate & cheesecake for a million years, I hope you guys enjoyed this post. I also hope Rodelle & I have inspired you to bake your fam bam a chocolate cheesecake this Fourth of July! & if you haven’t yet tried Rodelle’s baking products, you can get them online or in-store, just check here for what’s near you! Make sure to tag me @baranbakery & Rodelle @rodellevanilla on Instagram if you make this. Have a most wonderful day lovebugs, as always,
Love, B
Chocolate Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Recipe
A delicious chocolate and dulce de leche cheesecake topped with berries and powdered sugar!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar spooned and leveled
- 1/4 cup (25g) Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
- 2 cup 250g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
Cheesecake
- 24 oz (680g) cream cheese room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar lightly packed
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (240g) sour cream
- 1/3 cup (40g) Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa
- 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170g) dark chocolate melted
- 1/2 cup (120g) dulce de leche
Topping
- 1 Tbsp (8g) powdered sugar spooned and leveled
- 1 cup (150g) mixed berries
- 1/2 cup (120g) dulce de leche
Instructions
Crust
- Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa, egg, and vanilla.1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar, 1/4 cup (25g) Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa, 1 large egg, 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
- Add in the flour, mixing just until it is incorporated. The dough will be soft; wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it for 1 hour.2 cup 250g) all-purpose flour
- Preheat the oven to 325F (163C) and grease a 9" springform pan. Remove the dough from the fridge and press in into the springform pan. Bring it about halfway up the sides so the crust is about 1/8 inch thick all around.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes and remove it from the oven. Set it aside.
Cheesecake
- Use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to beat the cream cheese until it's smooth. Add in the sugars and beat until they're fully incorporated.24 oz (680g) cream cheese, 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
- Add in one egg at a time, beating for a minute and scraping the bottom after each addition. Add in the sour cream, Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa and vanilla and beat until they are fully combined. Fold in the melted chocolate.5 large eggs, 1 cup (240g) sour cream, 1/3 cup (40g) Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa, 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract, 1 cup (170g) dark chocolate
- Pour the cheesecake over the crust and spread it out until it's even. Pour dulce de leche on top in a spiral design and use a knife to create swirls.1/2 cup (120g) dulce de leche
- Bake for 1 hour and then turn the oven off and allow it to sit in the oven, with the door a crack open, for 30 minutes. Remove and refrigerate it for a couple hours, until it's chilled.
- Top it with powdered sugar, mixed berries and extra dulce de leche!1 Tbsp (8g) powdered sugar, 1 cup (150g) mixed berries, 1/2 cup (120g) dulce de leche
Notes
To avoid cracking, you can put the cheesecake in a water bath but I usually just add moisture to the oven by putting a pan full of water on a different shelf in the oven.
Store the cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 537kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 9gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 196mgFiber: 2gSugar: 39g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Thank you for supporting all things Baran Bakery & the brands that make it all possible. This post was sponsored by Rodelle. All opinions are 100% my own.