Tuxedo cheesecake is the perfect dessert for any occasion. It can be dressed up or dressed down, and the delicious layers of chocolate, white chocolate, and cream cheese make tuxedo cheesecake a perennial favorite.
Classic Tuxedo Cheesecake Recipe
The following recipe makes a classic tuxedo cheesecake.
Crust
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups of Oreos or other crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
- In a medium bowl, mix the crushed cookies and the margarine.
- Press the cookie and butter mixture evenly onto the bottom of an ungreased nine-inch spring form pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set it aside.
Filling
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white chocolate chips
- 3 eight-ounce packages of softened cream cheese
- 3/4 cups of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- Melt the white chocolate chips over a double boiler until smooth, stirring frequently.
- Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or food processor, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Beat or process the mixture until it is smooth.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
- Gradually beat in the melted white chocolate chips until smooth.
- Spread the mixture over the chocolate cookie crust.
- Place cheesecake in the heated 350 degree oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
- The cheesecake is done when the edges are set but the center of the cake still has slight movement to it.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack until cooled.
- Chill in the refrigerator until it is firm.
- Once firm, carefully remove the sides of the spring form pan.
- Garnish before serving.
Garnish
Ingredients
- 1 block of white chocolate, chilled
- 1 block of semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chilled
- Chocolate syrup for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Place the block of chocolate or white chocolate on a large piece of parchment paper.
- Using a melon baller or bench scraper, scrape down the bar of chocolate (away from you) to create chocolate and white chocolate curls. The melon baller will create curls, while the bench scraper will create shavings.
- Refrigerate the chocolate curls or shavings in a tightly sealed container until you are ready to use them.
- Garnish individual slices of the cheesecake with a combination of white and dark chocolate.
- Drizzle with chocolate sauce.
Variations
You can make a number of variations on this delicious cheesecake. Most of the variations come from the garnish. Here are just a few.
Turtle Garnish
Caramel and pecans are used to complete this turtle tuxedo cheesecake. To make the turtle garnish:
Ingredients
- 2 cups of chopped pecans
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 2 cups of caramel candies
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
Intructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter and toss with the pecans.
- Place pecans on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
- Toast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Remove the pecans from the oven and set aside to cool
- Melt the caramels in a double boiler until smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream until smooth.
- Pour warm caramel over the top of the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans.
Raspberry Sauce Garnish
For many, there is nothing more sublime than the combination of chocolate and raspberries. If you fall into this group, try garnishing your turtle cheesecake with the following raspberry sauce. You may also wish to try strawberry sauce or another sauce made from your favorite berries.Ingredients
- 1/2 pint of fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of amaretto liqueur such as Disaronno
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- Several fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pain and bring to a boil.
- Cool slightly and pass the sauce through a strainer or cheesecloth to remove the seeds.
- Cool completely before garnishing the cheesecake.
- To garnish cheesecake, swirl sauce on the plate around the cheesecake with a little bit on top.
- Finish off by topping the cheesecake with a few fresh raspberries.
Tips for Preventing Cracks
One of the biggest aesthetic hazards of baking a tuxedo cheesecake is cracks in the top. Here are a few tips for preventing cracks:
- Bake your cheesecake in a water bath. To do this, place a pan that is larger than your cheesecake in the oven filled with hot water as the oven preheats. When it is time to bake the cheesecake, place it in the water bath.
- Over-baking is one of the leading causes of cracks. Remove the cheesecake from the oven while there is still a two to three inch wiggly spot in the middle of the cheesecake.
- Sometimes the sides of the spring form pan can pull on the cheesecake as it cools, causing cracks. To prevent this, you might try greasing your spring form pan and lightly loosening the sides as the cheesecake begins to cool.
