Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Salted Nutella Ganache

I’m SO excited to re-share this recipe with you from back in 2012. Yes, over 10 years ago (photo evidence included)! The story behind this recipe tells you everything you have to know, so let’s throw it back:

“This past week has been completely crazy! I flew to New York to meet and cook with Bobby Flay at his restaurant! Whattt?! I know! My dessert was selected by Fage Total Greek Yogurt to be served at their event, and I can’t express how blessed I feel. I met some fabulous food editors, and of course, Bobby. He was incredibly sweet and complimented me on how delicious this dark chocolate cheesecake was.

THE CHEESECAKE?! Can we just talk about it? It’s a dense, smooth, chocolate-wasted cheesecake that I want to live in for the rest of my life. I’m SERIOUS. Oh and not to mention that it has a creamy, rich chocolate hazelnut butter (Nutella) ganache, toasted hazelnuts, and sea salt.

Please prepare yourself to drool.

Coming up with this recipe was quite a process. I knew that I wanted to use Greek yogurt, but also that I wanted to make a dessert that could be presented in a restaurant or made for a special occasion such as a holiday party. It had to be decadent, rich, and everything you could ever want in your mouth.

Now here’s the funny part: I’m not a cheesecake girl. I typically go for pie during the holidays, but I wanted to challenge myself to craft something beautiful and unique. And in my opinion, there’s really nothing better than dark chocolate and sea salt. OBVIOUSLY.

There are not enough happy adjectives to describe this cheesecake. There are simply no words.

But I think that if Bobby says it’s good, well then… you know it’s GOOD.”

What is cheesecake?

Let’s get to the recipe! No, we’re not adding mozzarella or a bag of shredded cheese to a cake (but you probably knew that already). Cheesecake is made out of a mix of neutral, soft cheese like cream cheese, or even cottage cheese or ricotta, plus eggs, and sugar. The crust can vary from using crushed-up cookies to a full pastry dough crust. Different cities claim to have different styles of cheesecake, too! For example, a New York-style cheesecake typically includes heavy cream or sour cream to make it denser and creamier, whereas a Roman-style cheesecake is typically made with ricotta or mascarpone instead of cream cheese.

You may (or may not) have noticed that in terms of desserts, I’m all about cookies, bars, and an occasional really good cake or pie. To me, cheesecake is one of those desserts that can either be incredible or a little bit lacking. Trust me when I say THIS gorgeous chocolate cheesecake will convert anyone who doesn’t normally love cheesecake.

No bake vs. baked cheesecake

That’s right, different cheesecake recipes can be baked, while some are no bake recipes!

No bake cheesecake is typically made with ingredients like gelatin, pudding, or whipped cream that get their softer texture from refrigerating only. The result is a light, fluffy texture like mousse — similar to my Deep Dish French Silk Pie.
Baked cheesecake, like this chocolate cheesecake, is (you guessed it) baked! The texture is denser, and creamier, and holds up well to toppings like my Nutella ganache.

Tools you’ll need

There are a few essential tools you’ll need to make a perfect chocolate cheesecake:

Get all of my kitchen essentials here!

Everything you’ll need to make the best chocolate cheesecake

Baking cheesecake is truly a science, so the ingredients matter! As I mentioned above there are tons of different ways to make cheesecake from scratch, but I truly perfected this dark chocolate cheesecake using specific ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

For the crust: we’re making a hazelnut cookie crust with chocolate sandwich cookies (I just use Oreos), raw hazelnuts, and some melted salted butter.
For the filling: my chocolate cheesecake filling is made with full-fat cream cheese, plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, granulated sugar, melted dark chocolate (from a 72% dark chocolate bar), unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and full eggs. I recommend using chopped dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips for the best flavor and melting ability.
For topping: there are tons of ways to top your cheesecake, but this salted Nutella ganache is out-of-this-world delicious. It’s made with chocolate hazelnut butter (aka Nutella), heavy cream, and more chopped dark chocolate. I like to then sprinkle chopped toasted hazelnuts and Maldon sea salt on top because WOW.

A note on substitutions

Because baking cheesecake is incredibly precise, I HIGHLY recommend sticking with the ingredients listed and not swapping anything. I haven’t tested out any dairy-free or vegan swaps in this recipe and I cannot be certain that the textures and flavors will come out the same.

You can, however, swap the Nutella for chocolate almond butter, if you’d like.

How to make the best chocolate cheesecake

Prepare the crust. Start by pulsing the Oreo cookies and hazelnuts in a food processor until they’re finely ground. Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles wet sand, then evenly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a greased springform pan. Bake the Oreo crust, then place it on a wire rack to cool.
Melt the chocolate. Melt your chopped chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave-safe bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Let the chocolate cool to room temperature.
Make the filling. Mix the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Do not overmix! Mix in the cocoa powder and salt, then add in the eggs one at a time and mix until just incorporated. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix on low speed until well incorporated.
Prepare your pan. Double-wrap the bottoms and sides of the springform pan well with aluminum foil and place it into a large roasting pan. Pour the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top.
Make a water bath. Boil a large pot of water (or boil water in a kettle). Place the roasting pan with your cheesecake on the middle rack of your oven, and carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan part so that it’s 1 inch deep.
Bake it up. Bake the cheesecake until the center is just set and appears dry (it might still be a little jiggly). Turn the oven off and crack open the oven door while keeping the cheesecake inside, and let it sit for 30-60 minutes. Remove everything from the oven and place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool. Run a knife around the crust to loosen it, then chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Make the ganache. Heat the heavy cream over medium-low in a saucepan, stir in the Nutella, then add more chopped dark chocolate and stir until melted. Pour the chocolate ganache over the center of the chilled cheesecake and spread it to the edges. Top with hazelnuts and flaky salt, let it set, then serve!

Wait, what is a water bath?

A water bath refers to cooking or baking your food in a pan or container that’s sitting in another container of boiling water. The water from the pan creates moisture in the oven to prevent your food (in this case, cheesecake) from drying out and cracking. The water essentially absorbs the direct heat of the oven, allowing for the cheesecake to bake more evenly.

This is why you’ll place your springform pan with the cheesecake into a bigger roasting pan, then fill it with boiling water and bake it!

Tips for making perfect chocolate cheesecake

Making homemade cheesecake is a labor of love and requires some good attention to detail. Temperature is KEY here! Don’t worry, I’ve got all of the best tips, “do’s,” and “don’ts” for you so that it will turn out perfectly every time:

Use room temp ingredients. It’s crucial to use room-temperature cream cheese and eggs in the filling and to let your melted chocolate come to room temperature before mixing it in. Mixing hot and cold ingredients anywhere in the recipe will give you a cheesecake that’s not smooth and creamy.
Do not overmix. When mixing your filling, slow and steady is best! Overmixing will result in a really dense cheesecake, and mixing too fast will beat too much air into the filling.
Do not over-fill the pan. Remember to use a 9-inch springform pan, as anything smaller will cause you to overfill it and might result in the filling leaking into your oven.
Do not overbake. Be sure to take your cheesecake out of the oven even if it looks slightly underbaked. The cheesecake will continue to set as it cools, and we don’t want a dry cheesecake!
Use the oven door method. Once your cheesecake is done baking, use the oven door method by turning off the oven, cracking the door, and letting the cheesecake sit for 30-60 minutes. This will help the cheesecake cool slowly instead of having it go from a very hot oven to room temperature all at once (which could create cracks).
Cool again before chilling. After removing the cheesecake from the oven and the water bath, place it on a wire rack to cool to room temp before chilling it in the refrigerator. Again, we want to cool the cheesecake slowly, in steps, to prevent cracking.

Use this trick for slicing your chocolate cheesecake

Because cheesecake is a bit more fragile than a traditional cake, I recommend running your knife under hot water before slicing into the cheesecake. This will allow you to cut perfect pieces without pulling some of the filling out with your knife.

How to store homemade chocolate cheesecake

To store: store the cheesecake covered in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. After that, the crust will start to soften too much.
To freeze: feel free to freeze the entire cheesecake or individual slices. Place the cheesecake in the freezer until firm, then wrap the cheesecake or slices well in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or silicone bag for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy.

More decadent desserts you’ll love

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I hope you LOVE this dark chocolate cheesecake recipe. If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it!