Signature Recipes

Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake

This recipe comes from Baking Basics and Beyond, Second Edition, by Pat Sinclair, a food consultant and cooking teacher.

This is special-occasion cheesecake, with its nutty crust and silky chocolate filling, calls for a high-quality chocolate, such as Scharffen Berger or Callebaut.

Serves 12 to 16
Reserve 6 ounces (168 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Crust
13⁄4 cups (175 g) ground pecans (about 6 ounces)
1⁄4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 mL) sugar
3 tablespoons (43 g) butter, melted

Filling
3 8-ounce (224-g) packages cream cheese, softened
3⁄4 cup (150 g) sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons (45 mL) all-purpose flour
½ cup (118 mL) whipping cream
1½ teaspoons (7.5 mL) vanilla

Melt chocolate in medium bowl set over, not in, simmering water, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly and reserve.

Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) with oven rack in middle. Grease sides of a 9-inch (22.5-cm) springform pan.

Crust
Combine pecans, flour, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl and press into bottom and slightly up sides of the prepared pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until pecans are toasted.

Filling
Beat cream cheese in bowl of a heavy-duty mixer on medium speed until creamy and free of lumps. Scrape down sides of bowl. Gradually add sugar, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, and beat until smooth.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each. Add flour and beat until smooth. Beat in whipping cream, reserved chocolate, and vanilla and pour into crust, smoothing the top.

Bake 37 to 43 minutes or until cake edge is set and center (about 2 inches [5 cm] diameter) still jiggles.

After removing cheesecake from oven, run a small metal spatula around cake edge so cheesecake doesn’t crack as it cools. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, and then refrigerate several hours before cutting.

To serve, release sides of springform pan and cut into slices (it will still be on the pan bottom). Garnish with whipped cream.

Baker’s notes: For this cheesecake, I grind the pecans in my food processor. Don’t process too long or the nuts will turn into a spread.

Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator about 1 hour before serving for the best flavor and texture. To cut, dip a knife into hot water and wipe dry before using.

Secret to Success: For a lovely garnish, dip pecan halves into melted chocolate.

Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate is set.