I'm not Sol but I have a few recipes that I've made with high success. This one is my favorite chocolate one though....

Chocolate Fantasy Cheesecake (Mary Crownover with my adaptations)

Crust
11 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
3 tablespoons melted butter

Stir together and press into a greased 9 inch springform pan (I don't go all the way up the sides). Bake for 15 minutes at 350. Cool

Double Chocolate Filling (all ingredients should be room temperature)

19 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup crème de cacao (I use strong coffee)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
3 ounces German sweet chocolate, grated

Combine cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, whipping cream, crème de cacoa/coffee and vanilla. stir in melted chocolate and grated chocolate. Pour over cooled crust..

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200 and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or till the center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Turn the oven off. Return the cake to the pan for an additional 2 hours. Cool completely and chill uncovered overnight (or a couple days).

Serves 12 - 18

That sounds fantastic. Double-strength coffee, chocolate, cheesecake. What else could a girl want? Ok, maybe if you top it with diamonds. Or chocolate shaving curls would do.

Dees, that does sound sinful. Thank you!

dees, that does sound fabulous. Does the recipe mean that you return the cake to the oven, rather than take it out of the pan? I thought so but wanted to be sure.

I used to make the chocolate cheesecake on the Kraft site, but yours sounds so much more chocolatey. Yes! Thanks for posting. Bye the way, have you ever increased the amount of cream cheese?

There's a goddess named Sol? Oh, I'd love to meet her :)

Peppi, sorry I missed this. I'll type up my recipe in a few. And hope I'm not too late.

Sol

Peppi, it's no secret I prefer a classic cheesecake, but unlike my favorite classic, this chocolate version doesn't require a water bath, and it's very good.

Chocolate Cheesecake - Serves 12-16

For the crust

1ý cups chocolate wafer crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
ü cup sugar
1ý teaspoons instant espresso powder

For the cheesecake

1/3 cup boiling water
6ý ounces bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 pound softened cream cheese
1ü cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 16-ounce container sour cream

A 9-inch Springform pan

To make the crust: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 úF. Grease the cake pan. Use a fork to blend together the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Press evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake 10 min. Let cool on a rack before filling (leave the oven on).

To prepare cheesecake: In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer just until smooth, about 30 seconds at high speed (or use a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed with the flat beater attachment). Turn mixer back on medium-to-low speed, and gradually add the sugar, beat until smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time beating well, and scraping the bowl after each addition. Add sour cream and beat just until incorporated.

Pour in melted chocolate and beat on low speed just until well blended. Pour batter into the crust and place the pan on a cookie sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake looks set but still jiggles in the center when the pan is tapped.

Remove cake from the oven, and slide a thin knife around the top edge of the cake to detach from the pan, but do not remove the pan sides.
Place the pan on a rack and cover with a large inverted bowl, to slowly cool cake to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 5 hours (preferably 24) before serving. Adapted from 'Bittersweet,' by Alice Medrich.

Alice Medrich claims the flavors become even more intense after 48 hours, but I wouldn't know :) Happy Thanksgiving!

Sol

Westsider, you return the cake to the oven and not remove it from the pan. I typically don't unmold until the cheesecake has chilled in the fridge. There is less chance of me eating it that way too!!

Oh and no, I've nit increased the amount of cream cheese. This one is almost fishy. It is really good.

Sol, thank you so much for posting the recipe. I will be brave and make it 48 hours ahead.

Now what did you use for the swirls? It looks divine.

Yeah how DID you do those swirls?

Also, Sol, while we've got your attention (and I think this can be considered on topic) do you have any preferences for chocolate brand? Ghirardelli, Sharffen Berger and Bakers seem to be the most available "supermarket brands" here, and from what I've found online Ghirardelli seems to get the most consistent high marks. Your thoughts? (I'm specifically interested in 60-70%)

Hi Dees, "Return the cake to the pan for an additional 2 hours". ?? Return the cake to the oven for an additional 2 hours? After you loosen the side ring? Just double checking as I wouldn't want to mess up. You must mean put back in the oven after loosening the side ring.

There may be a four letter error, 'cake' for 'oven' in the recipe as written. Thanks

It should be return the cake to the oven for an additional 2 hours. You don't loosen the ring. Just run a knife around the inside of then pan.

In the event anyone might be interested, this isn't a completely chocolate cheesecake, but the recipe for Black Top Marble Cheesecake, originally from Bon Appetit, is fabulous- and beautiful. The recipe is on epicurious.com

Peppi and FOAS, I'm not Sol, but it looks to me like droplets of plain cheesecake batter, probably removed before the addition of chocolate. Drop small dots around the edge, then pull a knife or skewer through the middle of the dots, which will "smear" them enough to make the pattern. Does that even make sense?

Come on Sol, now tell me if I'm right or wrong.

Annie

Peppi, forgive me; my life's been crazy hectic, not that that's anything new :) but I'll email you.

Foas, I prefer to use Lindt Excellence 70% cocoa (It's pure chocolate liquor, with a little sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla beans).
I've heard good things about Ghirardelli, but have never tried it, so can't give an opinion. But I've tried Scharffen Berger, and it's pretty rich and smooth. The kind of chocolate I'd save for a fine dessert - if I had any willpower.
You can find these chocolates at most local stores (Btw, if you have a 'World Market' nearby, I believe they carry a huge selection of quality chocolates, so you might want to check there too).

Sorry Annie. No 'droplets' were harmed in the making of the squiggly leaves. You're probably thinking about the spider web designs people 'draw' on cookies and cakes. Not exactly what I did, but you're warm.

Foas, I'll resuscitate my neglected blog by sharing the leaf tip in detail, later today.

Sol

Sol, no worries, this is for Christmas. I will look for your email.

And YOU are the goddess, so go look into a mirror and introduce yourself!