Epic 5-Layer Chocolate Cheesecake, Cheesecake Factory Style

My boyfriend and I moved into our dream home in August. It didn't look much like our dream home for the first month (and still doesn't really) as we immediately undertook a huge redecorating project. We didn't like the dusky pink carpets (or the fact that they had carpeted around wardrobes so when they took the furniture, there were sections of floor in two bedrooms with no carpet at all) so decided to get wood flooring throughout the house. It also needed a fresh coat of paint and it seemed a lot easier to do that before the new floor was done, meaning something of a race against time before the floor guys started. We also realised it made a lot more sense to redecorate before we unpacked, as it was a lot easier to shift boxes. So it was only six weeks in to living in the house that I finished unpacking the kitchen and made it useable and look nice; our bedroom is almost done but the other rooms in the house are still full of boxes!

Needless to say I hadn't made any cakes while all this was going on, and hadn't even been doing that much 'proper' cooking. I always felt that the first cake in my new kitchen needed to be a showstopper and something really memorable to mark our new lives in our new home. So no pressure then!

I knew it had to involve chocolate as my boyfriend wouldn't want anything less, and I've always loved cheesecake. Since visiting the Cheesecake Factory in America (I have eaten there four times now - not all on the same trip!) I have been obsessed with recreating their particular style of cheesecake. There are various copycat recipes on the internet and I previously made this Oreo cheesecake, which was very good but it was a baked cheesecake and didn't have the same creamy texture that I remembered at the Cheesecake Factory.

This recipe is for their Godiva cheesecake, as you are supposed to make it using Godiva chocolate, though it says at the end of the recipe that it would taste pretty much the same using any chocolate such as Hershey's -I think not! Godiva chocolates are Belgian and in my opinion taste very different to Hershey's which of course is American. But as I couldn't get hold of any Godiva chocolate, I used Tesco Finest 74% dark chocolate.

This cheesecake tastes much, much better than the Oreo cheesecake I made - and that one was pretty great. In fact I think this chocolate cheesecake- which I am calling my five-layer chocolate cheesecake, due to the way I decorated it - is quite possibly the best thing I have ever baked. And that's saying something. It has a cake rather than biscuit base which works really well and is something I will do again.

It takes pretty much all day to make as you have to allow a few hours chilling layers; I actually made it over two days as I started it one day but went to bed with toothache in the afternoon so had to finish it the next day!

I altered a few of the ingredients slightly and converted the measurements from US to UK.

Here's what I did.

You need:
For the cake base:
200g plain chocolate
225g butter
125g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated

For the chocolate cheesecake layer:
400g cream cheese
3 eggs
65g caster sugar
100g plain chocolate

For the chocolate mousse layer:
100g milk chocolate
400ml double cream

For the chocolate ganache layer:
100g plain chocolate
150ml double cream
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp golden syrup

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Ingredients

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup Godiva melting chocolate
• 1 cup sugar^[3]
• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs, separated^[4]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Cheesecake Filling Ingredients

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened to room temperature^[5]
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Godiva melting chocolate

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Godiva melting chocolate
• 14 ounces cold heavy cream^[6]

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Ganache Ingredients

• 1 cup Godiva melting chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter^[7]
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Toppings

• 1 square of Godiva chocolate for each slice (optional)^[1]
• Whipped cream (optional)

Recipe by CopycatRecipeGuide's Food Editors

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.^[5]
2. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Melt the chocolate, vanilla, and butter for the flourless cake in a double boiler.
4. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar.
5. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.
6. Beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add remaining sugar, and beat to a stiff peak.
7. Fold in the egg whites.
8. Start the cheesecake filling by melting the chocolate in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.^[3]
9. Beat remaining ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
10. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan; carefully top with cheesecake batter.
11. Bake for 40-50 minutes until firm.
12. Chill for at least 4 hours.^[7]
13. Make the mousse by melting the chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat to cool.
14. Beat the cream until somewhat thick. Beat in the melted chocolate until soft peaks form.^[6]
15. Layer the mousse over the top of the cheesecake and chill.
16. Start the ganache by adding the chocolate and butter to a food processor.
17. Boil the cream with the sugar.
18. Add the cream mixture to the food processor, add vanilla, and and process.
19. Refrigerate until the ganache is spreadable, then spread over the cake.
20. Refrigerate until chilled through.
21. Slice the cake into 12 equal servings.

- See more at: http://www.copycatrecipeguide.com/How_to_Make_Cheesecake_Factory_Godiva_Chocolate_Cheesecake#sthash.aMLnmo15.dpu

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Ingredients

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup Godiva melting chocolate
• 1 cup sugar^[3]
• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs, separated^[4]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Cheesecake Filling Ingredients

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened to room temperature^[5]
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Godiva melting chocolate

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Godiva melting chocolate
• 14 ounces cold heavy cream^[6]

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Ganache Ingredients

• 1 cup Godiva melting chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter^[7]
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Toppings

• 1 square of Godiva chocolate for each slice (optional)^[1]
• Whipped cream (optional)

Recipe by CopycatRecipeGuide's Food Editors

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.^[5]
2. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Melt the chocolate, vanilla, and butter for the flourless cake in a double boiler.
4. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar.
5. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.
6. Beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add remaining sugar, and beat to a stiff peak.
7. Fold in the egg whites.
8. Start the cheesecake filling by melting the chocolate in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.^[3]
9. Beat remaining ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
10. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan; carefully top with cheesecake batter.
11. Bake for 40-50 minutes until firm.
12. Chill for at least 4 hours.^[7]
13. Make the mousse by melting the chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat to cool.
14. Beat the cream until somewhat thick. Beat in the melted chocolate until soft peaks form.^[6]
15. Layer the mousse over the top of the cheesecake and chill.
16. Start the ganache by adding the chocolate and butter to a food processor.
17. Boil the cream with the sugar.
18. Add the cream mixture to the food processor, add vanilla, and and process.
19. Refrigerate until the ganache is spreadable, then spread over the cake.
20. Refrigerate until chilled through.
21. Slice the cake into 12 equal servings.

- See more at: http://www.copycatrecipeguide.com/How_to_Make_Cheesecake_Factory_Godiva_Chocolate_Cheesecake#sthash.aMLnmo15.dpuf

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup Godiva melting chocolate
• 1 cup sugar^[3]
• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs, separated^[4]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

- See more at: http://www.copycatrecipeguide.com/How_to_Make_Cheesecake_Factory_Godiva_Chocolate_Cheesecake#sthash.aMLnmo15.dpuf

Start by making the base; grease a 9-inch cake tin - the loose-bottom kind is best. I have one with a glass base which is great for serving the cake from. Preheat oven to 175C.

For the cake base, melt the butter and chocolate in a small pan over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool (though not set). Then separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks with half the sugar in a bowl.  Fold in the chocolate mixture.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and add the remaining sugar. Fold this in to the chocolate mixture and spoon into your prepared tin and level off.



Next make the cheesecake layer. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie or microwave and leave to cool but not set. Beat the cream cheese, eggs and sugar in a bowl then mix in the melted chocolate.

Pour this layer on top of the raw cake layer in your prepared tin and put the tin in the oven for 45-50 minutes.





When baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool- do not remove the cake from the tin so it will take a while to cool down. When cold enough to put in the fridge, chill for at least two hours or overnight if desired.

To make the chocolate mousse layer, melt the chocolate in a bain marie or microwave and allow to cool but not set. Beat the cream in a bowl until you have peaks then stir in the melted chocolate. Spread over the top of the cheesecake.

To make the ganache, heat the cream in a pan until almost simmering (don't allow it to boil) then add the chocolate in small pieces. Add the butter and golden syrup as well. Remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate has melted. Allow to cool a little so the mixture isn't hot but is still a pouring consistency. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and return to the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.



I decorated my cheesecake with caramel-filled Hershey's Kisses which my boyfriend's mum had brought back from her recent trip to America, but you could use any kind of chocolate decorations e.g. chocolate curls, other chocolate candy, grated chocolate etc.

As Paul Hollywood would say, you can see the lamination!

This is up there with - if not above - the best cakes I have ever made. It's incredibly calorific but so rich you can only eat a tiny slice (unless you are my boyfriend, who can manage a bit more!) but really just amazing. I'm already planning a similar version but with a caramel layer!

I'm sending this to Cook Blog Share, hosted by Lucy at SuperGoldenBakes, as it's an opportunity to share anything you have made.

The theme for this month's Love Cake, hosted by Ness at JibberJabberUK, is 'dark'. This recipe uses dark (plain) chocolate and is also a dark, decadent dessert perfect for winter evenings.

I think the dark layers of this cheesecake would also work well for a sophisticated Halloween dinner - and if you wanted to make it a bit less sophisticated you could decorate the top with spooky decorations like bats. For that reason, I'm sharing this with We Should Cocoa, which has a Halloween theme this month. This time it's hosted by Hannah at Honey and Dough; the challenge was started by Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog.