Black Forest Chocolate Cheesecake

I usually make plain or white chocolate cheesecakes but this past weekend I decided to do a chocolate one. A decadent, delightful, delicious, Black Forest Cheesecake that turned out to be one of my prettiest yet! Calling all chocolate lovers! I dare you to try this one! 

Black Forest Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
2 – 2-1/2 Cups Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
1/2 cup (1 Stick) Butter melted
2 tablespoons Sugar

Mix the ingredients and then press them into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Try to make an even thickness crust on all sides with your hands. Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and then let cool. Lower the oven to 325 degrees to bake the cheesecake.

Cheesecake:

2 (8oz.) packages of Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups of Chocolate Morsels (melted)
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 teaspoons pure vanilla

Beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each one. Add remaining ingredients and continue to beat until texture is smooth and creamy. Then pour into your cooled crust and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Then turn off the oven but keep the door open and leave it in the oven for about 30 minutes. After about 30 minutes, remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan and remove outer ring. Allow cheesecake to cool to room temperature or chill in refrigerator before adding toppings.

Toppings:

3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling

Beat cream until it begins to thicken, add powdered sugar and vanilla, then continue to beat until thick and fluffy. Add to pastry bag or a plastic bag with corn snipped off so that you can pipe on the cream.

Top cheesecake with cherry pie filling in center and then pipe whipped cream all around the outside. Top with shaved chocolate curls. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Cut with a sharp knife, and wipe off the knife with a moist/hot washcloth between cuts.

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