Cheesecake with Orange Essence and Chocolate Crust
This is a wonderful lighter option to a traditional cheesecake. The orange essence with the chocolate crust is such an enticing flavor combo!
Ingredients:
- 6 oz chocolate wafers
- 7 T melted butter plus more for brushing in pan
- 2 T sugar
- Pinch of salt
Filling
- 1 1/2 lb pounds cream cheese - room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 T orange zest
- 4 eggs - room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
Topping
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 T sugar
- 1 T freshly squeezed orange juice
- Optional garnish - candied orange peel and chocolate shavings
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare the pan, butter the bottom and partially up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Place wafers in a food processor and pulse several times. Add butter, sugar and salt. Pulse a few more times until incorporated. Place crumb mixture in pan and press evenly on bottom and ¼- ½ inch up the sides. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, it is forgiving. Place the pan in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack while preparing filling. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down edges as needed. Add in vanilla. Mix until lumps are mostly gone. Pour filling into crust and bake for 40-50 minutes until edges are cooked but center is still loose and jiggly. Remove from oven to cool on a rack while making the topping.
To prepare the topping, whisk the sour cream, sugar and orange juice until combined. Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top of cheesecake. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the top is set. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Release sides from pan and remove. Cool completely then chill for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Garnish with candied orange peel and chocolate shavings. Serves 8-12.