This chocolate orange cheesecake features an Oreo crust topped with rich, orange-infused chocolate cheesecake, chocolate ganache, and chocolate buttercream frosting accents.
Chocolate and orange are such classic flavors, that I love to combine them every opportunity I get like in this chocolate orange cheesecake. And who doesn't love a good cheesecake, like this Oreo brownie cheesecake for special occasions, or this chocolate cheesecake cake is always popular. So, I was so happy to add this orange flavored cheesecake into the mix with a classic chocolate cheesecake.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Recipe
- Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Video
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- Variations and Substitutions for Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
- How to Make This Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
- Hint
- Storage
- What to Serve with Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
- Tips
- FAQ
- More Cheesecake Recipes
- Related
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love This Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Recipe
- It's a rich, decadent dessert featuring the classic, citrus-infused flavor of orange and chocolate.
- It's perfect for any holiday or special event, but it's easy enough to make just because.
- The fresh orange juice and orange zest provide the perfect amount of subtle orange flavor.
- It's a triple-threat of melted chocolate chips with orange chocolate batter, chocolate ganache, and chocolate buttercream for the ultimate chocolate flavor.
- Its creamy and rich, the way a cheesecake should be.
Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Video
Ingredients
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This cake is a chocolate lover's dream, and its use of simple ingredients makes it one that anyone can make. There's nothing fancy about these ingredients!
Ingredients for the Crust
- Gluten-free Oreos
- Melted butter
Ingredients for the Cheesecake
- Milk chocolate chips
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
- Orange zest
- Sugar
- Cream cheese - softened
- Eggs - room temperature
- Fresh orange juice
- Sour cream - room temperature
- Singing Dog Vanilla vanilla extract
- Salt
Ingredients for the Ganache
- Chocolate (I like to use a large 7 oz Hershey Bar)
- Heavy cream
Ingredients for the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Powdered sugar
- OliveNation 20/24 Fat Dutch process cocoa powder
- Dark cocoa powder
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Singing Dog Vanilla vanilla extract
- Salt
See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- 9-inch springform pan
- Heavy-duty foil
- Stand mixer
- Baking dish
- Piping bag with a star tip
Variations and Substitutions for Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
- Feel free to use regular Oreo cookies for the crust if you aren't gluten-sensitive.
- If you don't have sour cream, use full-fat Greek yogurt in the same quantity.
- I don't recommend substituting any other ingredients for the best flavor possible.
If you love decadent chocolate desserts like this one, try my White Chocolate Reese's brownies.
How to Make This Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
Making this cheesecake is much easier than you might think. It only takes a few simple steps. If you follow those, you'll have a delicious, orange-infused chocolate cheesecake everyone will love!
1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch round springform pan with coconut oil using a pastry brush.
2: Pulse the Oreos in a food processor until fine. Then, add the butter and pulse again.
3: Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and along the sides of the pan. Then, bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while making the cheesecake batter.
4: Add both cups of chocolate and heavy cream to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a liquid forms. Set aside to cool.
5: Combine the orange zest, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then, rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers until it becomes a light orange color.
6: Add the orange and sugar mixture and cream cheese to a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until well combined and no clumps remain.
7: Add the eggs one by one, mixing for 20 seconds after each addition. Scape down the mixing bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
8: Add the chocolate mixture and mix on low until just combined. Then, add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and orange juice and mix again on medium until just combined. Scrape the mixing bowl again and mix once more to combine.
9: Pour the cheesecake batter over the Oreo crust in the springform pan. Then, wrap the pan four times with heavy-duty foil to keep water from the water bath out of the cheesecake. This is VERY IMPORTANT to prevent a mushy cheesecake.
10: Place the pan in a larger baking pan and fill ¼ of the way with water. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until the cheesecake is just slightly jiggly in the center.
11: Crack the oven door and let the cheesecake cool for an hour. Then, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool on the counter for another hour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for 6 to 8 hours before adding the chocolate ganache.
12: To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to bubble slightly. Then, pour it over the chocolate in a mixing bowl.
13: Let the chocolate and cream sit for two minutes. Then, stir well.
14: Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, then chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Make the frosting while the ganache cools.
15: Mix the butter on medium speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until creamy. Then, add the vanilla and salt and mix on low until just combined.
16: Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until combined. Then, add both cocoa powders and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Mix on low to begin, then increase the speed to medium-high, mixing until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Add more heavy cream at this point if the frosting is too thick.
17: Using a piping bag with a large star tip, decorate the edge of the cheesecake with dollops of chocolate buttercream frosting and top them with more orange zest. For this piping, I used a Wilton 1M tip. Chill until you are ready to serve.
Hint
It's important that your eggs and sour cream are at room temperature for optimal mixing and the best cheesecake texture.
Always use high quality, full fat block style cream cheese when making a cheesecake. I prefer to use Philadelphia cream cheese for the best results.
Never skip out on baking the cheesecake in a water bath, to ensure you have a perfectly set cake.
Storage
Keep this chocolate orange cheesecake refrigerated at all times, and return any leftovers to the refrigerator as soon as you've finished slicing and serving it. You can freeze this cheesecake for longer storage, as well.
Refrigerator: Store in an air-tight container or tightly covered for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Flash freeze the cooled cheesecake. Then, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and freezer for up to a month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
What to Serve with Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
This delicious gluten free baked chocolate cheesecake is perfectly creamy and rich, one that I love to serve alongside other chocolaty, fruity sweets on special occasions. Its chocolate and citrus flavors pair well with other similar treats like:
Tips
- Fully soften your cream cheese and butter for the smoothest, richest cheesecake and frosting textures.
- Your eggs and sour cream should be at room temperature so they can easily be incorporated into the cheesecake batter with minimal mixing.
- Be sure to wrap your pan TIGHTLY with four layers of heavy-duty foil to keep water out of your cheesecake.
- Scrape down the mixing bowl a few times while making the cheesecake batter to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- It's important to let the cheesecake cook in the oven before transferring it to the counter. This prevents cracking and sagging.
- For smooth, velvety ganache, let the chocolate and hot cream sit for a couple of minutes so the chocolate is nice and soft before stirring.
FAQ
If you don't use enough water for the water bath, the oven won't be moist enough to prevent cracking. In addition, transferring the cheesecake directly from the oven to the counter will cause it to crack.
The usual culprit for a cheesecake that collapses in the middle is overmixing. When the cheesecake batter is overmixed, too much air is incorporated into the batter. As the cheesecake bakes, the excess air causes it to rise too much. As the cheesecake cools, the air pockets collapse, as does the cheesecake itself.
Yes! Room temperature eggs require less mixing to fully incorporate into batter. This results in a lighter, fluffier texture.
You can technically freeze cheesecake for as long as you want. It just won't be very good. Ice crystals form in the cheesecake while it freezes. These crystals aren't noticeable if the cheesecake isn't frozen for too long. However, after a month, so many ice crystals begin to form that the cheesecake becomes grainy.
More Cheesecake Recipes
If you love cheesecake, these recipes will have you itching to get baking!
Related
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- 20 gluten-free Oreo cookies
- ¼ cup butter melted
Cheesecake Batter
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- zest of one orange
- ¾ cup sugar
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice about 1 orange
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Singing Dog Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Ganache
- 7 oz Hershey bar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup OliveNation 20/24 Fat Duch process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon Singing Dog Vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with coconut oil using a pastry brush.
- Pulse the 20 Oreos in the food processor until a fine crumb Then, add the butter and pulse again.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and along the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool while you make the cheesecake batter.
- Add both cups of chocolate and heavy cream to a small saucepan and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until a liquid forms.
- Set the mixture aside to cool.
- Mix the orange zest, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers until the mixture is alight orange color.
- Add the orange and sugar mixture and cream cheese to a stand mixer and mix with the paddle attachment until well combined and smooth.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the mixing bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Add the chocolate mixture and mix on low until just combined. Then, add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and orange juice and mix again on medium until just combined. Scrape the mixing bowl again and mix once more to combine.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the Oreo crust in the springform pan.
- Wrap the pan four times with heavy-duty foil to keep water from the water bath out of the cheesecake.
- Place the pan in a larger baking pan and fill ¼ of the way with water. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until the cheesecake is just slightly jiggly.
- Crack the oven door and let the cheesecake cool for an hour. Then, transfer it to the counter to cool for another hour.
- Chill the cheesecake for 6 to 8 hours before adding the chocolate ganache.
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it beings to bubble slightly.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate bar in a mixing bowl.
- Let the chocolate and cream sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir well until smooth.
- Pour the ganache over the cheesecake, then chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Next, beat the butter on medium speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until creamy.
- Add the vanilla and salt and mix on low until just combined.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until combined. Then, add both cocoa powders and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Mix on low, then increse the speed to medium-high, mixing until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Add more cream if the frosting is too thick.
- Using a piping bag with a large 1M Wilton star tip, pipe dollops of frosting along the edge of the cheesecake and top with more orange zest.
- Chill the cheesecake until you are ready to serve, slice, and enjoy.
Liz says
We love cheesecake at our house, and this recipe turned out super creamy and got thumbs up from the whole family!!! It was delicious!!!!
NKendrick says
Thank you so much for sharing!
Adriana says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Juyali says
To me, chocolate and orange flavors are the perfect marriage! Whenever I see a recipe calling out both, I must make it. 😉
My cheesecake turned out so so delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Swathi says
Chocolate orange cheesecake is delicious my son who is skeptical about orange and chocoalte loved it.