This triple chocolate cheesecake is what you make when you want silence at the table—because everyone’s too busy eating. It’s two chocolate layers baked gently over an Oreo crust, finished with glossy ganache and chocolate shavings.
This recipe is long because it’s layered—not because it’s difficult. Think of this as a low-stress cheesecake that just looks fancy (and tastes amazing).
What You’ll Need For This Triple Chocolate Cheesecake:
Ingredient Notes
Use baking bars, not chocolate chips. Bars melt smooth and silky; chips contain stabilizers that make melts grainy and hard to fold into the batter.
Choose full-fat block cream cheese. Tub or low-fat cream cheese adds extra moisture and stabilizers, which can lead to a soft, uneven set.
Stick with heavy cream. Milk doesn’t have enough fat to melt chocolate smoothly or give the cheesecake its rich, stable texture.
If You’re Making This Recipe For The First Time
Here’s the quick list of the non-negotiables that matter the most when making this layered chocolate cheesecake:
- Make sure the chocolate is melted and smooth but not hot.
- Keep the mixer low after the creaming stage.
- Don’t skip the water bath.
- Don’t rush the cooling period.
- Give the ganache its short chill before slicing.
Everything else? Very forgiving.
Making A Crack-Free Cheesecake
After creaming the cream cheese and sugar (the only step that needs speed), everything else is mixed on low speed. That keeps extra air out—which is important because too much air is what causes cracks and a cakey texture. Gentle mixing is the secret to that smooth, custardy cheesecake.
The Water Bath Does More Than Prevent Cracks
A true water bath—water poured up the sides of the springform pan—keeps the heat even from edge to center.
That means both chocolate layers bake at the same rate and stay cleanly defined. You don’t get that gummy ring around the outside or the loose center that never quite sets.
Serving Suggestions
This is a recipe you can rely on for holidays, birthdays, and every time someone says, “Can you bring dessert?”
The 30-minute post-ganache chill is the reason for clean slices. The ganache will firm just enough to cut without smearing or dragging into the cheesecake.
Serving notes:
- Slice with a hot, dry knife (wipe between every cut)
- Serve chilled but let the slice sit five minutes before eating
- If transporting, chill an extra hour so the layers stay crisp and defined
Storage Instructions
Store the cheesecake covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. The ganache actually helps protect the top, keeping it smooth and preventing the cheesecake from drying out as it chills.
If you want to freeze it, do so before adding the ganache. Wrap the cooled cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, and freeze for up to two months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge so the texture stays creamy, then add the ganache and chocolate shavings once it’s fully chilled again.
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust Layer
- 26 Oreo brand chocolate creme filled sandwich cookies
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cheesecake Layers
- 4 ounces semi-sweet baking bar, finely chopped
- 4 ounces white chocolate baking bar, finely chopped
- ¾ cup heavy cream, divided (¼ cup for the white chocolate, ¼ cup for the semi-sweet chocolate and ¼ cup for the cheesecake batter)
- 32 ounces block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 cups hot water, for the water bath
Ganache Layer
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, finely chopped
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
Garnish
- White chocolate bar shavings
- Semi-sweet chocolate bar shavings
Instructions
Crust Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and lightly spray the inside of the pan with non-stick baker’s spray. Set aside.
- Add the Oreo cookies to a food processor and pulse for 30-60 seconds or until fine crumbs form.
- While the food processor is running, slowly drizzle in the melted butter until fully incorporated into the cookie crumbs. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
- Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool to room temperature.
Cheesecake Layers
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- To a medium sized microwave safe bowl add the finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate and ¼ cup heavy cream. Heat for 45-60 seconds, stir until smooth and set aside to cool slightly before adding to the cheesecake filling mixture.
- To a second medium sized microwave safe bowl, add the finely chopped white chocolate and ¼ cup heavy cream. Heat for 45-60 seconds, stir until smooth and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
- With the mixer on low add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next. Stop and scrape down the bowl and paddle attachment as needed to ensure the ingredients are evenly mixing.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix on low just until fully incorporated and the cheesecake batter is smooth.
- Pour half the batter into the bowl with the melted and slightly cooled semi-sweet chocolate. Gently fold to combine until no streaks of melted chocolate remain.
- Pour the remaining half of the batter into the bowl of melted and slightly cooled white chocolate. Gently fold to evenly combine and no streaks of white chocolate remain.
- Add the semi-sweet chocolate cheesecake batter to the crust and spread to an even layer.
- Gently spoon the white chocolate cheesecake batter onto the top of the semi-sweet cheesecake layer, being careful not to combine the layers, and gently spread to an even layer.
- Place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan and onto the center rack of the preheated oven. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan, being sure not to get any into the cheesecake batter, until it goes up the side of the springform pan about 1-1 ½ inches.
- Bake for 1 hour, to 1 hour 15 minutes, or just until the outer edges are just barely golden and the center just slightly jiggles if the pan is tapped.
- Turn off the heat to the oven, crack the door open about 1-inch and allow the cheesecake to slowly cool, and finish baking for an additional 1 hour.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven, remove the aluminum foil from the springform pan and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.
Ganache Layer
- Once the cheesecake is fully chilled, remove it from the refrigerator.
- To a small microwave safe bowl, add the finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream. Heat for 45-60 seconds, stir until smooth. Add the clear corn syrup and stir until fully combined. Allow the ganache to cool for 3-4 minutes before topping the cheesecake.
- Spoon the ganache into the center of the cheesecake and carefully spread to the outer edges being careful not to drip any over the sides.
- Sprinkle the top of the cheesecake with the white and semi-sweet chocolate shavings to garnish. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator to chill for 15-30 minutes, or until the ganache has firmed, before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use high quality semi-sweet and white chocolate baking bars such as Ghirardelli, Lindt, or Baker’s brand for this recipe. They will yield the best results when melted and combined into the cheesecake batter.
- A vegetable peeler run gently along the sides of the chocolate bars will yield the shavings for the garnish.
- Be sure to use full-fat block style cream cheese and full-fat sour cream in this recipe for the best texture of the baked cheesecake.
Nutrition
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