This chocolate almond cheesecake is perfect for any special occasion! It is a decadent dessert with a chocolate crust, a creamy chocolate filling, and a streusel topping. Paired with a cup of coffee, it is pure bliss!
What I love about this cheesecake is the combination of chocolate and almonds. There are chocolate and almonds in the crust, chocolate and almond extract in the filling, and more almonds in the streusel topping. This indulgent dessert is sure to impress your most sophisticated guests!
I’m often frustrated when baking a cheesecake. It is so disappointing when the top cracks. A few tips to avoid the dreaded cracked top include:
- use room temperature ingredients
- bake the cheesecake in a water bath
- do not over bake the cheesecake
- do not cool the cheesecake too quickly.
The beauty of this cheesecake is that no one, including you, will ever know if the top is cracked because it is covered with a nutty, crumbly streusel topping.
Artzy Foodie Tip: Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door cracked to keep it from cooling too quickly.
Preparing the crust
The crust for this recipe is made by adding chocolate graham crackers and almonds to a food processor and processing until they are finely chopped. Then, add a pinch of salt, and some melted butter to hold the crust together, and process until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and refrigerate until the filling is ready.
Artzy Foodie Pro Tip: Measure across the center of the top of your pan to determine its size.
If you have a larger or smaller pan, that is fine. The baking time will need to be slightly adjusted. A smaller pan will take a few minutes longer and a larger pan will take a few minutes less.
The streusel topping
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and sliced almonds. With your fingers, work in some melted butter until a crumble is formed, and set aside.
The filling
Artzy Foodie Tip: Use room temperature ingredients so that the filling will be smooth and creamy.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed until the cream cheese and sugar are thoroughly combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until they are fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and mix in some melted semi sweet chocolate and some sour cream.
Artzy Foodie Tip: To eliminate some of the calories, substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream.
Pour the filling over the crust and top with the streusel.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely, then refrigerate.
How to tell if your cheesecake is done
Unlike a regular cake, you can’t use a toothpick to test your cheesecake for doneness. A perfectly baked cheesecake will have a 3″ circle in the center that will still be jiggly when removed from the oven. Because this cheesecake has a streusel topping and the top is not visible, insert a cooking thermometer in the middle, half way down the cheesecake, and wait for a reading of 150 degrees.
This chocolate almond cheesecake is the perfect dessert for any occasion!
If you like this recipe, you might also like: New York Style Cheesecake
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Chocolate Almond Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 10 ounces chocolate graham crackers
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 8 Tbsp butter melted
- 1/4 tsp salt
Streusel Topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 6 Tbsp butter melted
Filling:
- 2 eight ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips melted
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
For the Crust:
- Add the graham crackers and almonds to a food processor and process until finely chopped
- Add the melted butter and salt and process until the consistency of wet sand is achieved
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and refrigerate
For the Streusel Topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and almonds
- Using your fingers, work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and set aside
For the Filling:
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix together the cream cheese and sugar until creamy (scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed)
- Add the eggs, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until incorporated
- Reduce the speed to low and add the melted chocolate and the sour cream
- Pour the filling over the crust and top with the streusel
- Bake for 45 minutes
- Allow cheesecake to cool completely and then refrigerate
