Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecake with Rosemary Infused Dark Chocolate Crust

I’m sorry for pumpkin pie, but this has to be the best Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert ever! This pumpkin chocolate cheesecake is the creamiest cheesecake. The reason is because instead of just drizzling chocolate over a pumpkin cheesecake mixture, I divided the batter in two halves and mixed pumpkin puree in one and chocolate in the other. I also went to the dark side and used dark chocolate for the batter, for the graham cracker crust and for the smooth ganache that drips over the cheesecake. So if you are craving something different for Thanksgiving, you are lucky to be here because this is simply the best and most delicious pumpkin cheesecake you will ever taste.

I’ve never been a big fan of pumpkin. I have always thought it should be kept on the savory side of the kitchen. Even though I still think that, after tasting the pumpkin flan a few years back, which I recently shared with you, I have to recognize pumpkin deserves a nice place in the sweet table. That’s when I thought of developing a pumpkin cheesecake recipe. And I did. A pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce and candied oranges. It was so good! Since that recipe is pretty special, I thought of reshooting it this year. But somewhere in the process I decided to give it the chocolate treatment. And a whole new pumpkin cheesecake recipe was born!

I really wanted to give both pumpkin and chocolate the same spotlight. That’s why I made just one batter and then divided it in half, added pumpkin to one half and chocolate to the other. This made things way simpler than making two separate kinds of batter. And both flavors have the same creaminess and tanginess that we all love about a good cheesecake. The chocolate components of this recipe are made with dark chocolate. I used 60% chocolate chips for the ganache and the cheesecake batter and used extra dark cocoa powder for the crust, which I infused with rosemary for a warm and earthy note. All these details together made their magic in producing a cheesecake that’s extremely rich, utterly decadent but not overly sweet.

As I have always told you, making a cheesecake is pretty simple. You need to plan in advance because one of the keys for that rich texture is the time it spends in the fridge. The minimum is overnight, but the best is one full day for chilling. You can confidently make this cheesecake Tuesday and it will be total perfection on Thursday. Even if you bake it Monday, total success . You just need to take care of it while it is in the fridge by covering it tightly and even placing a damp paper towel directly on top of the cheesecake. You know how I always like to walk you through the process. If you have already read one of my cheesecake recipes, this will be pretty familiar. If this is your first time, read below for some steps to help you get organized beforehand:

How to Make this homemade pumpkin chocolate cheesecake from scratch

1. You need to work with room temperature bricks of cream cheese, so take them out of the fridge as soon as possible. Open them over your counter and leave them in the aluminum wrap. As soon as they are a bit soft, flatten them out a bit with a butter knife. Making the bricks thinner will help in bringing them down to room temperature faster. If you are in a super hurry (hey, we’ve all been there!) warm them up in 12-second intervals. Do not over heat. If you do, fats will start breaking down, compromising the flavor and texture of the cheesecake.

2. Next melt the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. They will be at room temperature when you are ready to add them to the batter.

3. Prep all the ingredients. Once you start, everything runs pretty fast. To get eggs to come down to room temperature fast, place them in a bowl with hot tap water for 5 to 7 minutes.

4. You can line up the bottom of a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. You can cut it a bit larger than the pan making it easier to remove. Next, you need to wrap it half way up with aluminum foil. I use three long pieces of foil to wrap up the pan from different directions. Press the gaps as much as you can so water doesn't enter the foil. This is how you prevent water from getting inside your springform pan.

5. Make my super easy and simple graham cracker crust! You can omit the rosemary in the butter, but I highly recommend it. It won’t have a strong taste, I promise, just a nice hint of that rosemary earthy note. You will probably need to take the crust out of the oven before having finished the cheesecake batter. As soon as you take the crust out, increase oven temperature to 425°.

6. You can make the crust of this cheesecake as thick or thin as you wish. For a thicker crust, just press the crumbs only on the bottom, creating a naked cheesecake look. For a very thin crust, press the crumbs until the top of the pan. For something in between, press the crumbs until half way thru the pan.

7. While the crust is baking start working on that creamy cheesecake filling. When making the filling, remember to not over mix! This is a mixture that doesn’t like air at all. The small amount that you are going to incorporate when whipping the cream cheese is more than enough. Starting with very softened cream cheese is key in achieving a super smooth filling without incorporating too much air. Remember to scratch the walls and bottom of the bowl with a large spatula at different stages throughout the process to make sure there are no clumps of cream cheese.

8. Pour about half the batter over the melted chocolate and using a spoon mix until well incorporated. The mixture should look homogenous in color. Then add the pumpkin to the other half in the mixing bowl and mix in slow speed until everything comes together smooth and nicely.

9. Now you are going to pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust until half way through the pan (there will probably be a remnant of about ¼ of mixture). Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over. Then, swirl with a chopstick or butter knife.

10. I strongly recommend using a 18” x 13” baking tray to make the bain-marie. I have used slightly smaller trays in the past and the result has been a slightly drier cheesecake. It’s not a super big deal, really. But if you can go bigger, do it!

11. While the cheesecake is baking, make room for it on the fridge.

12. After chilled and ready to serve, make the ganache and pour it over the cheesecake. Leave the cheesecake out for the ganache to settle at room temperature, about 30 minutes, and then it’s ready to be stored in the fridge again until it’s time to serve.

Removing your cheesecake from a springform pan

You can remove the band around your cheesecake and decorate it on the tray it was baked, just place it on a pretty large plate. But if you are feeling adventurous and want to release the cheesecake completely out of the pan, you can do so following a few steps. Take note that for this maneuver your cheesecake needs to be completely chilled so it is very firm.

1. After removing the band, place a plastic paper on top of the cheesecake.

2. Place a plate on top and turn the cheesecake upside down.

3. Using a small pairing knife, push up the bottom tray and remove the parchment paper. 

4. As soon as you remove the bottom tray, place your serving plate on top and turn the cheesecake over. Carefully remove the plastic paper. Don't sweat if a small spot is a bit damaged, no one will notice after you pour the smooth ganache!

I know this cheesecake will be on so many tables this Thanksgiving! I can’t wait for you to make it!

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Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake with Rosemary Infused Dark Chocolate Crust

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate and Rosemary Crust

◯ Unsalted butter – 10 TBSP (1 ¼ stick)
◯ Rosemary sprigs - 3 to 4, small
◯ Traditional graham crackers – 8 oz (15 whole rectangular crackers)
◯ Raw sugar – 5 TBSP
◯ Dark cocoa powder - 2 TBSP (use regular cocoa powder if you don’t have dark cocoa powder)

Pumpkin Chocolate Filling

◯ Dark chocolate chips (60% cacao) - ½ cup
◯ Cream cheese, at room temperature – 5 (8 oz) packages
◯ Raw sugar – 1¾ cup
◯ Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 1 TBSP
◯ Pure coconut milk, preferably full fat – ¼ cup
◯ Vanilla extract – 1 Tsps
◯ Eggs, at room temperature – 5, large
◯ Egg yolks, at room temperature – 2, from large eggs
◯ Unbleached all purpose flour – 3 TBSP
◯ Pumpkin purée - 7 oz. (half can)

Dark Chocolate Ganache

◯ Dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) - 1 cup
◯ Heavy cream - ¾ cup

Details

Yield:
a 9” springform pan, about 12 to 15 servings

Total time:
2 hours plus chilling overnight

Prep time:
30 minutes 

Cooking time:
1 hour and 20 to 25 minutes

Equipment:
springform pan or pie dish, stand up or electric hand mixer, baking tray, parchment paper (optional)

Steps

To make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Wrap it almost to the top with several layers of aluminum foil (see notes above). Place over a large baking tray.

In a small saucepan place the 10 tablespoons of butter with the rosemary and heat in medium to low level. Melt the butter and let it start sizzling a bit. Shake frequently so the rosemary releases its oils. Retire from heat as soon as butter has melted.

Break the crackers over the bowl of the food processor already attached to its base. Add the 5 tablespoons of sugar and the 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Pulse 2 times to integrate everything and make the crumbs smaller. Remove the rosemary sprigs and, with the processor running, pour in the melted butter, just until the crumbs are very fine and compact but not oily, about 10 to 15 seconds. If there are still big crumbs of crackers, integrate the crumbs stuck to the wall of the bowl and pulse a couple of seconds more. Transfer the content to the pan. Press onto the bottom and up to the sides, until the crumbs are evenly distributed and you have reached the edges of the pan with them. You may use a bottom flat small measuring cup or utensil to help yourself press down and distribute the crumbs. Transfer to oven and bake for 7 minutes, then let it cool down.

To make the filling: 

Increase oven temperature to 425°.

In 10-second intervals, melt the ½ cup of chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place the 5 bricks of room temperature cream cheese in your mixing bowl. With the whisk attachment start mixing in slow speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) until the cream cheese is smooth and has no big lumps, about three minutes. Decrease to low speed and add the sugar. Next add the tablespoon of lemon juice, the ¼ cup of coconut milk and the teaspoon of vanilla. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time and waiting until one is incorporated before adding the next. Remember to stop and scratch down the walls and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. Add the flour and mix once more.

Pour about half the batter over the melted chocolate and using a spoon mix until well incorporated. The mixture should look homogenous in color. Then add the 7 ounces of pumpkin to the other half in the mixing bowl and mix in slow speed until everything comes together smooth and nicely.

Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust until half way through the pan (there will probably be a remnant of about ¼ of mixture). Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over. Swirl with a chopstick or butter knife.

Fill the baking sheet with water more than half way thru. Carefully transfer cheesecake to oven and bake for 7 minutes. Immediately turn down the temperature to 275° and bake for 1 hour and 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheesecake is firm on the sides and looks dry but the center is a bit jiggly if pan is shaken a bit.

Turn oven off and let the cheesecake there with the door halfway open for a couple of minutes, then take it out and let it cool down completely. Cover the cheesecake with a damp paper towel directly on it and cover the top with plastic paper before placing it in the fridge. Chill for at least 8 hours or ideally overnight. You can prepare the cheesecake 2 days in advance.

Remove from pan (see notes) and pour ganache over (recipe below).

To make the ganache:

Place the cup of chocolate chips in a medium bowl.

In a small sauce pan heat the cream until gently simmering. Pour over chocolate and let it rest for three minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour over cheesecake. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before placing in the fridge to finish setting. This will prevent the chocolate from blooming.

Your cheesecake is ready!! Serve chilled.