Hershey's Chocolate Cheesecake – Three ways

My three staple chocolate cheesecake recipes. They vary in chocolate intensity but all are amazingly good.

Chocolate Festival Cheesecake is not overly sweet but has great chocolate flavor. It uses cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and sour cream. A good combination for those who want chocolate but still want to taste the essence of cream from the cream cheese and sour cream in this cheesecake.

You need more richness? Got it- Tuxedo Chocolate Cheesecake. It uses cocoa powder and sweetened condensed milk. Hershey’s doesn’t actually call it a Tuxedo but I do because it has all those qualities- creamy, fudgy and of course, chocolatey. Please top it with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla mousse. It really compliments this recipe.
    

Okay, that was dreamy, but this final recipe will take you to chocolate heaven. If you need something divinely and insanely fudgy. Fudge Truffle Cheesecake. I think the name says it all. It uses semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder and sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar. Maximum richness and fudge flavor. From the fat in the chocolate chips, of course. And creaminess from the sweetened condensed milk. It doesn’t get any better. If you love dark chocolate, go with dark chocolate chips, but I like to use semi-sweet because it usually pleases everyone. As you probably would have guessed- this one is my favorite of the three.

All three use a chocolate crumb crust- which is mandatory.   

Chocolate Festival Cheesecake 

Crust
1-1/4 cups vanilla wafer or graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine first three ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.

Cheesecake

3 eggs

Sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping (optional)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Assorted fresh fruit, sliced (optional)

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

Directions

Set oven temperature to 450°F. 

Combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, cocoa and vanilla in large bowl; beat on medium speed of mixer until smooth. Add flour and eggs; beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 250°F; continue baking 30 minutes. (Cheesecake may not be fully set in center.) Turn off oven; leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes without opening oven door. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool to room temperature; remove side of pan. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls or sliced fruit and whipped cream, if desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.

HERSHEY'S Tuxedo Chocolate Cheesecake 

Crust
1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer or graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons powdered sugar

6 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa 

6 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Directions

Combine first three ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cheesecake

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Heat oven to 300°F

Place butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 30 to 45 seconds or until melted. Stir in cocoa until smooth; set aside.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until set. (Center will be soft.) Remove pan from oven to wire rack; loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. To serve, garnish as desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. Garnish as desired. 12 servings.

Fudge Truffle Cheesecake 

Crust
1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer or graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

Directions

Combine first three ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cheesecake

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Heat oven to 300°F.

Place chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1-1/2 minutes; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted when stirred.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add melted chips, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Garnish as desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.

Watching this episode of "Everyday Baking" with my sister was very entertaining because John Barricelli has a New York accent. We have never called these lime squares. They are “lime sqways.”

This creamy dessert is a cross between Key lime pie and traditional lemon bars. However, the pistachios added to the crust make it amazing! Who knew those two green foods complimented each other so well! 

Lime Squares with Pistachio-Graham Cracker Crust

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup shelled pistachios

3/4 cup graham-cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime zest (the zest of 2 limes)

2 large egg yolks

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 juicy limes)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

In a food processor or blender, finely grind pistachios and graham-cracker crumbs, you may need to do this in a few batches in a blender. Then combine together in a bowl, along with sugar and zest. Add in melted butter. Instead of a bowl, you can combine everything in the food processor if you are using one. Reserve 1/4 cup mixture. Press the remaining mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges. Use reserved crumb mixture to sprinkle over the top.

Bake until set, about 15-22 minutes. (I needed 22 minutes). Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board.

With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut. Store in refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap.