Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

This cheesecake is one of those thick and dense cheesecakes.  There is nothing light and airy about this one. You can either use the recipe below for the crust or substitute an Oreo cookie crumb crust.  Either way, this cheesecake is heavenly.  It's just the right balance of chocolate and cheesecake.  For Valentine's Day, I added some whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries. 

Ingredients

Chocolate Crumb Crust -

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

1/2 cup icing sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake-

300 g package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 packages (250 g) cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

Chocolate Crumb Crust -

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  

Cheesecake - 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  In the microwave, melt chocolate chips.   Set aside.   In a large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.  Add melted chips, eggs and vanilla: mix well.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is set.  Cool; chill.  Cover leftovers; refrigerate. 

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake.