Chocolate Cheesecake

Asked by Kinnaryp. Answered on 5th May 2014

Full question

Hi, I made the Chocolate Cheesecake but it turned out to be too dense. I'm not sure what went wrong. I checked it after 40 minutes but already there was hardly any wobble on the top. Can a cheesecake be under cooked? If so how would you know. Made your London cheesecake recipe, it came out beautifully - very light and fluffy. Must say your recipes are very simple and easy, very encouraged to try them. Thank you.

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Cheesecake (from Feast and on the Nigella website) is a baked cheesecake. Nigella cooks her cheesecakes in a water bath as this tends to help to prevent them from overcooking. If you have cooked the cheesecake in a water bath then you do need to make sure that the roasting pan that you put the springform pan in is deep enough, as the water needs to come at least half way up the sides of the springform pan. The springform pan should also be removed from the water bath as soon as the cheesecake is cooked as if it is left in the water bath then the cheesecake will continue to cook in the water bath. Unfortunately all ovens vary and it may be that you need to check the cheesecake slightly earlier in the cooking time.

As the cheesecake filling contains chocolate it is also going to be slightly more dense than a plainer cheesecake (such as the London Cheesecake). The cocoa solids in the chocolate will mean that the cheesecake sets slightly more firmly and also will have a slightly denser texture, but it should still have a smooth consistency. We doubt that the cheesecake is underbaked as the centre would be soft or slightly runny.