Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake

For 15 Servings (9.5-inch springform pan), Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake keeps the list centered on recipe crumb-crust, heavy cream and eggs. Set aside about 455 minutes.

• Yield 15 Servings (9.5-inch springform pan)
• Ready in 455 minutes
• Prep 380 minutes
• Cook 75 minutes

Ingredients

Cheesecake

• 1 recipe crumb-crust (recipe below)
• 1 cup ( 212 g ) sugar
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 8 oz ( 227 g ) fine-quality bittersweet chocolate , not unsweetened, chopped
• ½ cup ( 113 g ) sour cream
• 3 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese , softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Crumb Crust

• 3 cups 10 oz finely ground chocolate cookies , such as chocolate wafers or chocolate teddy grahams
• 5 tablespoons ( 71 g ) butter , melted
• ⅓ cup ( 71 g ) sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. For the crumb crust, Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.
2. For the cheesecake, preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Cook sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden. This step takes a lot longer than I thought – a good 10-15 minutes on my stovetop. After the sugar turns pale golden, cook without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden.
4. Remove from heat and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved.
5. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth. Stir in sour cream.
6. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy, then beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
7. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 55 minutes (this took about 65 minutes in my oven), or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
8. Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.)
9. Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving (I actually found the cheesecake tasted better slightly cold).

Chill the cheesecake until the center is fully set.