Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake

Description

So creamy and good. The strawberry flavor comes through in the cheesecake and the chocolate crust and ganache work great with the strawberries.

Ingredients

Crust:

• cooking spray
• 1 (9 ounce) box chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco® Famous Chocolate Wafers)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cheesecake:

• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 drops pink gel food coloring

Chocolate ganache:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (4 ounce) bar semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 10 whole and halved strawberries, for garnish

Steps

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Wrap outside of a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 9-inch springform pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Stir together cookies, melted butter, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Press onto bottom and 1-inch up sides of prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is set, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely, 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven again to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Process chopped strawberries in a food processor until completely smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Set strawberry puree aside.
• Beat cream cheese with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar and flour, beating until smooth, about 1 minute. Add whole eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed just until blended after each addition (do not overbeat). Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.
• Beat in reserved strawberry puree, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice on low speed just until combined. Gently stir in food coloring gel until desired shade is reached.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan (pan will be full). Place cheesecake in a large roasting pan. Place roasting pan with cheesecake in preheated oven and pour very hot water into roasting pan half-way up sides of cheesecake.
• Bake in the preheated oven until center is almost set but still wobbly, 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn oven off, and let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes.
• Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Cover with aluminum foil; chill 8 to 24 hours.
• Prepare Chocolate Ganache Topping: Bring cream to a light simmer in a small saucepan over medium. Place chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate in bowl and let stand 1 minute. Whisk chocolate mixture until completely smooth. Let mixture cool until very slightly warm, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Assemble Cheesecake: Dip a few whole strawberries in ganache and chill until ready to top cheesecake. Remove sides of pan from cheesecake and place on a serving platter. Slowly pour ganache over top of cheesecake, spreading to edges with a small offset spatula. Chill for 1 hour.
• Top cheesecake with whole and halved strawberries and chocolate-dipped strawberries.