Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake

This Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake is tender, velvety and so chocolatey. Using ricotta for the cheesecake makes it so much softer and more luscious than using just cream cheese.

The chocolate sour cream topping and the fresh raspberries make it extra special and even more delicious.  It’s looks so elegant and sophisticated, but is really easy to make.

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-18When I’m rarely but suddenly attacked by a chocolate craving, sometimes there’s nothing to do but give in. Since cheesecake is my vice, a decadent, creamy Chocolate Cheesecake was the way I decided to go. My cheesecake of choice is a soft and tender sort, so I prefer to add some ricotta cheese to it.

Even though I’m in the mood for baking now and then, it’s nice to have options for a cake that takes hardly any effort. You know what? This is probably the easiest cheesecake in the world. You don’t even need to use any electrical appliances and will have just a few dishes to deal with. Even though this is a Chocolate Cheesecake, there is no finicky chocolate to deal with. That’s right. I have a confession to make. Sometimes I’m too lazy to melt chocolate, so in this case, I’m using cocoa powder. I can promise you that it tastes just as chocolaty and delicious, even without it, and most of all, you can have it in the oven in 20 minutes. That’s pretty great in my book.

Most importantly, the velvety and luscious chocolate cheesecake will have you whispering compliments to yourself with every bite. Most likely you already have most of these ingredients on hand, so you can whip this up anytime. Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup tea biscuit cookie crumbs (or vanilla wafers or graham crackers)

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

4 Tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature

3/4 – 1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

Chocolate Glaze:

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

4 Tablespoons sour cream

6 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

To decorate:

fresh raspberries

Or you can use toasted nuts, other berries, coconut flakes or chocolate shavings

Video of How To Prepare the Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake

 

Instructions:

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-1-23Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large ziplock bag, crush the tea biscuits with a rolling pin to get 1 cup of cookie crumbs. You can also use vanilla wafers or graham crackers. You can also pulse the cookies in a food processor. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-2Add the sugar, melted butter, cocoa powder and salt to the ziplock bag, close and massage the bag with your hands to mix the ingredients together. (You can also add all these ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.) Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-3Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch round springform baking pan. If you want to make your crust come up the sides of the cheesecake, make another 1/2 batch of the crumb mixture. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-4Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, then cool slightly.

Meanwhile, mix the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-5If your cream cheese is softened enough and you’re willing to put your arm muscles to good use, you can use a large wooden spoon, but you can most certainly use a standing mixer or a hand mixer. Mix until smooth. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-6Add the ricotta, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract.

If you would prefer not to use ricotta cheese, you can use the same amount of farmer’s cheese or cream cheese.

At this point, I like to switch to a whisk. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-7

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-8Add the cocoa powder and flour. Mix to combine. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-9

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-1-24Pour the filling into the baking pan over top of the slightly cooled crust. The thing that I’m happiest about right about now is that I only have one bowl, one spoon and one whisk to wash. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-1-25Bake in the 325 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door open and let the cheesecake cool gradually until the oven is completely cool. Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight, or for about 6-8 hours. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-12Take the cheesecake out of the springform pan and transfer to a serving plate or a cake pedestal.

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-15Make the chocolate glaze.

This glaze/frosting is AMAZING! Something about the addition of sour cream makes it extra creamy and flavorful. I actually prefer it to melted chocolate.

You can totally skip making the glaze though. If I’m going with the easiest route possible, I only make the cheesecake itself.

Place the cocoa powder, sour cream and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk everything together until smooth while still cold.

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-10

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-11Cook on medium-low heat until it comes to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the glaze thins out to a syrupy consistency. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-13Whisk in the butter.

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-14Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cheesecake. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-16Quickly tilt the cheesecake while swirling it around to distribute it all over the top. Do this quickly, since the cheesecake is cold and the chocolate glaze will set up fast. Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-17(My husband was kind enough to help me out with the glaze, so I could have this picture. So now you can stop wondering about the manly hands in the picture. My arms are really not that hairy.)

I also spread the glaze on the sides of the cake. You can make more crumbs and spread them up the sides of the cake. Decorate with raspberries. I also use chopped, toasted nuts, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, etc.

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature before serving.Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-18

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Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake

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5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 35 mins
  • Cook Time: 48 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 23 mins
  • Yield: 1 (9 inch) cake 1x
  • Category: Sweets

Ingredients

Scale

Crust:

  • 1 cup tea biscuit cookie crumbs (or vanilla wafers or graham crackers)
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:

  • 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 3/41 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 6 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter

To decorate:

  • fresh raspberries
  • Or you can use toasted nuts, other berries, coconut flakes or chocolate shavings

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large ziplock bag, crush the tea biscuits with a rolling pin to get 1 cup of cookie crumbs. You can also use vanilla wafers or graham crackers. You can also pulse the cookies in a food processor.
  3. Add the sugar, melted butter, cocoa powder and salt to the ziplock bag, close and massage the bag with your hands to mix the ingredients together. (You can also add all these ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.)
  4. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch round springform baking pan. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, then cool slightly. If you want to make your crust come up the sides of the cheesecake, make another 1/2 batch of the crumb mixture.
  5. Meanwhile, mix the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. If your cream cheese is softened enough and you’re willing to put your arm muscles to good use, you can use a large wooden spoon, but you can most certainly use a standing mixer or a hand mixer. Mix until smooth.
  6. Add the ricotta, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract. At this point, I like to switch to a whisk.
  7. Add the cocoa powder and flour. Mix to combine. Pour the filling into the baking pan over top of the slightly cooled crust.
  8. Bake in the 325 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door open and let the cheesecake cool gradually until the oven is completely cool. Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight, or for about 6-8 hours. Take the cheesecake out of the springform pan and transfer to a serving plate or a cake pedestal.
  9. Make the chocolate glaze.
  10. Place the cocoa powder, sour cream and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk everything together until smooth while still cold.
  11. Cook on medium-low heat until it comes to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the glaze thins out to a syrupy consistency. Whisk in the butter.
  12. Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cheesecake. Quickly tilt the cheesecake while swirling it around to distribute it all over the top. Do this quickly, since the cheesecake is cold and the chocolate glaze will set up fast.
  13. I also spread the glaze on the sides of the cake. Decorate with raspberries. I also use chopped, toasted nuts, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, etc.
  14. Bring the cheesecake to room temperature before serving.

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Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake-19

This is an updated version of the Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake recipe that was published originally on February 4, 2013. The recipe is the same; I added a new video.

50 Comments

      • Nata

        Ok, I don’t want to sound annoying with my questions, but what would you recommend if I wanted to make it vanilla flavored? Would you sub cocoa powder with flour? I suppose I could go searching for vanilla cheesecake recipe with ricotta but I know you’re a trusted source so figured I would ask you first 🙂

    • olgak7

      Hi Yelena. I explained all the possible substitutions in the recipe instructions. You can use farmer’s cheese or cream cheese. Just use the same amount as the ricotta.

  • Tatyana

    Olga, I love your ricotta cheesecake , I usually make it at least once a month but because I love chocolate this will be my next cake to try! Thank you for sharing it with us!!!

  • Vita

    Hi Olga. I made this cheesecake last night, and made the chocolate glaze this morning after breakfast (which just happened to be your buttermilk pancakes)… It is so chocolaty and delicious! My kids said that’s the best cheesecake ever! 🙂 Thank you for sharing another scrumptious recipe!

  • Elena

    Hi Olga! thank you so much for the recipe! I was wondering if you know how I can prevent the cake from cracking? Every time I prepare the cake it crakes :/

    • olgak7

      Here are a few tricks to keep a cheesecake from cracking:
      – Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Wrap the outside of the cake pan in several layers of aluminum foil, then put it inside a large roasting pan, put it in the oven and then pour about an inch or two of warm water into the roasting pan.
      – Check the cheesecake in plenty of time before it should finish baking. Ovens are different and bake faster than others. Plus, baking pan are different too. For example, a darker baking pan will cook faster than a light colored one. When you shake the pan, the cheesecake should still jiggle a little in the center. It should be set around the edges, but not be fully set in the center. The cheesecake will continue to bake even after the cheesecake is out of the oven, so you need to turn off the oven while the center is not completely baked through.
      – Another trick is to turn the oven off and then prop the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 30 minutes, so that it will gradually cool off.
      – Make sure the sides of the baking pan are generously greased before pouring in the cheesecake batter. If the cheesecake batter sticks to the sides of the pan and puffs up while baking, it will shrink when cooling, and if the sides aren’t greased enough, the cake will crack when it’s cooling as aren’t able to pull away from the sides of the baking pan.
      – Cool the cheesecake completely before taking it out of the baking pan. I usually chill it overnight in the refrigerator before serving it.

  • Christine Shev

    I made this cheesecake yesterday and it was delicious, my family loved it. I must say I was surprised at how chocolatey it tasted considering it had no chocolate in the actual cheesecake, that’s a bonus – less fat = less calories!! I did cut a few corners though and used 225gms chocolate biscuits (cookies) crushed and 80 gms butter melted for the base. And I made up my favourite ganache/glaze for the top – 150gms dark chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream stirred in a saucepan over low heat till melted and combined. Thanks for the recipe Olga, its a “keeper”.

  • SvetKa

    “dokladyvaiu:”
    Made this for Shavuot in all the wrong ways: made the whole thing with GF “grahm-style” crackers run through the food processor. Baked it in a tart pan – couldn’t find my springform. Mixed everything through eggs in the food processor, too, and used tvorog. Use GF flour mix from Bob’s. Baked without water bath, and in a toaster of all things, so cooling properly wasn’t an option.

    The beast cracked like crazy, but was insanely delicious! Thank you, Olga!

  • Marina

    Hi Olga, I am really enjoying and using your recipes. Thank you!
    Question – does it matter whipped cream cheese or a block of cream cheese? Thank you!

    • olgak7

      Adding eggs one at a time allows them to incorporate evenly into the batter, Lana.
      In the case of this cheesecake, adding them one at a time helps them to mix evenly quickly. If you add the eggs all at once, you will have a harder time mixing the eggs into the batter and will need to mix it much longer. As I mentioned in the video, one of the things that can cause a cheesecake to crack when baking is when too much air is incorporated into the batter if you mix it too long.
      In other recipes, when you are mixing eggs into a creamed butter, it is even more important to add eggs one at a time. Fat and liquid (butter+eggs (or any other liquid, like buttermilk, milk, etc), needs to be added slowly (and be at room temperature) to create a proper emulsion. This creates a perfect texture of the finished cake – light, fluffy, spongy. If you add the eggs all at once, they won’t have the correct texture and will most likely cause the cake to be flatter, not as fluffy and may even sink while baking.

  • Lana

    Hello Olga. This looks interesting to make.
    I like Russian recipes but some of them have have measurements that are hard for me. I am not good at math so I hate it. But willing to learn and improve. Do you have a conversion chart that you use for your recipes? Like 5 gr. to tablespoon? I might be confusing. I hope you understood my question.

    • olgak7

      Hi Lana.
      I don’t have a conversion chart. I’m sure if you google, you will find many options.
      I don’t use the metric system for my recipes, so I’m not sure where you found 5 grams? Is it from another website or Russian cookbook?

  • Christine

    How far in advance can the ganache be put on the cake? Is the night before too soon?
    Also, how do you get the ganache on the sides of the cake so evenly and smoothly?

  • Mimi

    How do u cut the cake to get perfect slices. My cheesecake sticks to the knife and damages the slices. I tried putting knife in hot water but it’s not much of a difference






  • Anat

    Made this cake for my husband’s birthday, absolutely delicious and was a huge success. Wanted to thank you for all the extra tips, they definitely helped!






  • Nelya

    If I was to make mini cheesecakes using this recipe, how long do you think they should bake for? And should I still leave them longer in the oven with the door cracked open?

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