Ganache-Topped Chocolate Cheesecake

I've only made plain cheesecake in the past, going so far as to decorate them extensively as in this particular cake, but this was my first time trying actual chocolate-flavored cheesecake. It was surprisingly delicious - and I say surprisingly because of the number of improvisations I had to make in the pre-Thanksgiving time crunch during which this cake was prepared!

I adapted this recipe from Allrecipes as follows, using an approximation of Bakerella's ratio for the crust instead of the original recipe's complex mix:

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

About 2 cups of chocolate graham crackers, crushed

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly

3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, room temperature

1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Crust:

Mix melted butter into graham cracker crumbs, then press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.

2. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth, then mix in chocolate, eggs (one at a time), and vanilla. Continue to mix on low speed until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Pour into crust.

3. Bake for 55 minutes, carefully rotating the pan at the halfway mark. Don't worry if the center looks slightly underdone [jiggling just a little] when you remove the cake; it will continue to bake afterward.

4. Let cake cool to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator overnight.

I don't exactly have a recipe for the ganache, as I sort of played it by ear and ended up with a lot leftover. I also covered the (leveled) cheesecake after it had cooled to room temperature, but before I chilled it. I used 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips, but I think one heaping cup might have been plenty. I scalded some cream and poured it over the chocolate, mixing as I went, until the ganache was thick but pourable. Because I wanted the drip-overhang effect on the sides of the cake, I didn't want the ganache so thin that it would rapidly trickle down. Once a medium-thick consistency is achieved, spoon ganache onto the center of the cake, spreading it gradually outwards in a circular motion. When most of the cake's top is covered, add a couple spoonfuls more to the center, and with the same circular motion, push the ganache slowly over the edge. It should start to flow over but not travel too far down the cake. Of course, if you want a different effect, feel free to experiment with different ganache textures!

I also couldn't find chocolate graham crackers at the time, so I bought some chocolate-graham-flavored Goldfish crackers and smashed them to bits with the handle of a wooden spoon [being sure to double-bag the crackers first!] It worked out, though I would have much preferred having a food processor...

I ended up whipping up some sweetened cream and serving each slice with that and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips. (I also found that heating up a sharp knife makes the dense cheesecake a lot easier to cut through.) Ultimately, though, I found the cream completely unnecessary: it's pretty, but the cheesecake and ganache topping definitely hold their own without it :)