For my sister's 20th birthday, she asked for a cheesecake, just like last year. But while last year's version was plain with raspberry sauce, this time she wanted orange and chocolate. So, I thought, how can I really pump up the flavor while still maintaining the pure flavor of our tried-and-true cheesecake recipe?
Well folks, I think we have a winner, because this cheesecake was amazing! It's not too difficult to make, nor does it require any strange equipment (besides a springform pan, which every baker should own). It doesn't have to be fancy, but it tastes great, which is the most important thing. My sister gave it two thumbs up, and I hope you will agree!
So let's begin by making the crust. Please don't be tempted to use a "boughten" (as my grandmother says) crust, because it's just not worth it. It's so easy to make a homemade crust, and it tastes a gazillion times better.
You need two cups of graham cracker crumbs. That's approximately 25 square crackers, crushed. Of course you can easily do it in your food processor, but I find it much less messy, and more therapeutic, to just put them in a plastic bag and smash the heck out of them with a rolling pin.
Pour your crunched, processed, smashed, or crushed crumbs into a bowl and add 1/3 cup of sugar.
Now the flavor-boosting can begin. Toss in the zest of 1 1/2 oranges and a few drops of orange oil, if you have it. This is going to take this crust from ordinary to spectacular in about two seconds flat. Citrus zest tends to do things like that. It's just so... zesty!
Forgive the pun. I've spent way too much time with my friend Liz lately.
Make sure you break up any clumps of zest when you mix it up, because you want it to be evenly distributed across the whole crust.
Pour in a few tablespoons of melted butter and mix it all up until it's crumbly. It will not feel like a dough, but rather like moist crumbs... because it is moist crumbs...
Pour it into a 9" springform pan and press it into the bottom and sides.
See how it's pretty even along the entire bottom, and it goes most of the way up the sides? That's what you want. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want some pieces to get huge thick crusts and some to get none at all.
Here's a trick to avoid overly thick crust along the edges: use a small cup to press down in the thickest areas. It spreads the weight more evenly.
Set the crust aside for now, while you make the filling.
Get three bricks (8 ounces each) of softened cream cheese and toss them into a stand mixer or mixing bowl. A stand mixer works a lot better than either a hand mixer or a whisk, but either of those will work too if you find yourself a little short in the stand mixer department. It's a common problem - those things are expensive!
Whip them up until they are fluffy and smooth. No lumps in my cheesecake, thank you very much.
Add a cup of sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla extract, and a quarter cup of orange juice. Use fresh juice - you've already zested some oranges, after all, and you may as well use them up.
Mix 'er up again. If you feel like doing a taste test, be my guest. I can personally vouch for the yumminess.
Plop in three eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one.
Why must you add eggs one at a time? I always wondered about that. Kitchen Savvy has the answer: it's so that the eggs can emulsify better with the fats in the batter, just like when you're making mayonnaise.
Now we add the secret ingredient - sour cream. One cup of it mixed right in. It lightens the batter and adds a freshness that is altogether pleasing. Cheesecake is very rich, but with the addition of sour cream it isn't so heavy anymore.
The final ingredient is 2/3 cup of mini, semisweet chocolate chips. If you must use the larger ones, it will still come out well, but I've always liked the tiny ones better in cheesecake. They don't interrupt the creaminess as much as a big chip would.
Carefully pour your batter into the crust, smoothing the top evenly. Pop it into a 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes or until it's a little golden on top.
When it's done, turn the oven off but leave the cake inside with the oven door cracked a bit. This is a really important step because it allows the inside to finish cooking, and it cools the cake down slowly to avoid too many cracks. Cheesecake is all about slow cooling, so leave it there for an hour.
When time's up, take it out of the oven and let it sit on the counter for another hour. Then, and only then, are you allowed to put it into the fridge. Ideally you should chill it anywhere from four to twenty-four hours, but a good two hours will do in a pinch. Cheesecake, like revenge, is best served cold.
But we're not big on revenge here at Birds & Brownies. Cheesecake is so much better.
While you're patiently, or not so patiently, waiting for your cake to cool, let's make a rustic little topping.
Chocolate chips. Orange zest. Orange juice. Nuke it for 20 seconds or so. (That's microwave, for those of you not in the know).
Spread it out on some waxed paper and let it cool. I stuck mine in the freezer for about ten minutes.
Then, just chop it up. If you're ambitious, or not very busy, you could even make orange-chocolate curls.
Tastes just like those chocolate oranges you get around Christmas.
By now your cheesecake should be cooled to just about the right temperature. Take it out of the fridge and slice that baby up!
Doesn't that look pretty? With the crumbly, orange-infused crust and the little chocolate chunks on top, it could win an ribbon at the fair just for looks.
But it tastes good too!
I wasn't expecting this, but the addition of orange juice in the batter lightened the texture a little. It was a nice change from my normally dense cheesecake, and of course the brightness of all that orange flavor was fantastic along with the chocolate! This recipe's a good one, folks - easy, pretty, and delicious.
Bon appetit!
Orange Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Crust
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
zest of 1 1/2 oranges
2-3 drops orange oil, optional
Cheesecake
3 - 8oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. orange juice
3 eggs
1 c. sour cream
2/3 c. mini chocolate chips
Topping
1/4 c. chocolate chips
zest of 1/2 orange
1 T. orange juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the crust ingredients and press into a 9-inch springform pan, making sure that the crust is even along the bottom and up the sides.
In a bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar, vanilla, and orange juice and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, combining after each addition. Fold in the sour cream and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 60-70 minutes or until slightly golden on top. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside with the door cracked for one hour. Then remove the cake and let cool on the counter for another hour. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
For the topping, mix together chocolate chips, orange zest, and orange juice and microwave for 20 seconds. Mix well and spread thickly onto a piece of waxed paper. Let set until hard, or refrigerate. Chop into rough pieces or shave off curls. Put on top of cheesecake when ready to serve.
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