The chocolate marble cheesecake has a gorgeous two-color marbling effect and the taste contrast of the two cheesecake batters makes it interesting. Chocolate makes it a favorite dessert of many. This recipe is similar to the holiday cheesecake recipe that first “hooked” me on baking cheesecakes at home.

For more chocolate in your chocolate cheesecake, double the chocolate in this recipe and save 3 cups of plain batter for a reverse marbling effect. For greater contrast, use less batter to mix the chocolate leaving more plain batter in your chocolate marble cheesecake, but intense chocolate flavor in the clusters of chocolate cheesecake.

If you want a crust on your cheesecake (cheesecakes do not have to have a crust), I recommend either a chocolate cookie crumb crust or a nut crumb crust with the chocolate marble cheesecake. This cake does fine without a heavy crust if you dust the greased pan with your choice of crumbs. Recipes for cheesecake crusts are here in the cheesecake crust recipe section.

Chocolate Marble Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients: 

Chocolate

3 ounces (more or less as desired) of choice of chocolate

1 teaspoon vegetable shortening

Cheesecake batter

2 pounds cream cheese

2 tablespoons vanilla extract (optional)

1 ½ cup sugar

6 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cream

Chocolate Marble Cheesecake Recipe 

Directions for preparation and baking 

1.    Preheat the oven to 450°F. I use a stone on the bottom rack. If you haven’t prepared your crust yet (see crust recipes) or bought a ready-made one, get the crust ready now. If you have a ready-made crust, you may want to toast it in time to be ready for step 7 below, but that is not required.

2.    Start melting chocolate and shortening in the top of a double boiler (or in a small pot you can float in a larger pan with hot water) to be ready for step 6.

3.    Beat (or use a mixer) the cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until well blended.

4.     Add the sour cream and continue beating until you have a smooth consistent texture. Once you add eggs (next step) you won’t be able to fix lumps you leave in now.

5.     Add the eggs. Once the eggs are stirred in, gradually add the milk or cream (which can be whipped first to lighten the cake) and gently stir until smooth. The batter is ready.

6.     Remove the melted chocolate and shortening from heat and stir until it is has an even consistency.

7.     Put all but about 3 cups of the batter in your prepared crust. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining 3 cups of batter in your mixing bowl and stir it to an even color consistency. Spoon the chocolate batter into a few spots of your crust, right on top of the plain batter. Gently swirl the two batters around and up and down to marbleize the cake to the extent you want. You can leave distinctly chocolate sections or have a subtle mix throughout the cake. I use a small knife for the marbling and finish with very small light swirls in a widening circle. If you don’t mind washing more bowls, you could first separate the batter for the chocolate and the alternately spoon in plain and chocolate batter.

8.     Place the filled crust in the 450°F oven. Once you have the cake in the oven, don’t open the oven door any more than you have to. You may want to add a pan of water to help maintain/restore humidity in the oven. After fifteen minutes reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and continue baking for another hour before you check on the tall cake (45 minutes for shallow cakes, 30 minutes for cupcakes.)

9.     After the cake has cooled to room temperature, serve or refrigerate the covered cheesecake.

Cheesecake Crust recipes

Cheesecake Topping recipes