This chocolate orange cheesecake is ultra creamy, chocolatey, and zesty. It has an oreo crust and is topped with a creamy chocolate ganache, candied orange slices, and Terry’s chocolate orange wedges. The recipe has everything you need to know to make a perfect creamy and rich baked cheesecake. It's the perfect make ahead cake for the holidays!
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🍊 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Creamy: The texture is silky smooth, rich, and creamy. It’s everything you want in a cheesecake!
- Orange: There’s orange zest and juice to give it lots of orange flavour. It’s topped with easy candied orange slices!
- Chocolate: Melted chocolate chips add lots of chocolate flavour and even more richness to the cheesecake.
- Straight Forward: This recipe has all the tips and tricks you'll need to get a perfect baked cheesecake every time. No need to be afraid!
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Filling ingredients
- Oranges: You'll need orange juice and zest for the chocolate orange cheesecake and 2 whole oranges (sliced) for the candied orange slices on top. You don't need to decorate them with candied orange slices but they're so delicious and complement the flavors perfectly!
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips: This is what is going to give your cheesecake its rich chocolatey flavor. I've only tested the recipe with semisweet chocolate chips. Milk chocolate chips will make the cheesecake overly sweet and not chocolatey enough.
- Cream Cheese: Use a good quality cream cheese. Don’t use a low fat variety, it has too much water and the consistency will be watery. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature 2 hours before making the cheesecake for it to soften.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy cream will lighten up the cheesecake and make it ultra creamy. It's also in the ganache. Don't use half and half or milk instead, it won't work.
- Sour cream: This will deepen the flavor and give the cheesecake a creamy texture. Don’t use a low fat sour cream.
- Eggs: Make sure they’re at room temperature so that they blend in perfectly, creating a silky smooth batter.
Crust ingredients
- Oreo Crumbs: You can buy pre-crushed or whole oreos. You'll need 3 cups of crumbs or 36 whole oreos. Use a food processor or place inside a bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Butter: If using salted butter, omit the salt in the crust.
✔️ Ingredient substitutions
Oreos: Substitute with any similar sandwich cookie with filling. If using graham crackers, you will have to add more butter to bring it together.
Oranges: I haven't tested it but you can try swapping it with other citrus fruits like lemon for a chocolate lemon cheesecake.
👩🍳 How to make chocolate orange cheesecake
The process is divided into three steps: the crust, filling, and assembly.
Cheesecake crust step by step
Prep: Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease an 8” or 9” round springform pan with a piece of cold butter.
Step 1: Use a food processor to crush whole oreos into fine crumbs. Or place oreos in a large bag and crush with a rolling pin. Combine crushed oreos, butter, and sea salt in a large bowl until even.
Step 2: Pour crust mixture into greased pan and spread out to the edges. Use the bottom of a glass to pack tightly, pushing the crumbs halfway up the edges.
Bake for 12 minutes. Work on the filling in the meantime.
Filling step by step
Prep: Fill a kettle full of water and set it to boil for the water bath.
Step 1: Pour a few inches of water in the bottom of a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Find a heat safe bowl that fits on top of the saucepan without touching the water.
Step 2: Place chocolate chips and cream into the bowl, bowl onto saucepan, and stir until melted. Remove from saucepan and let cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Place sugar, salt, and orange zest into large bowl or stand mixer. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes pale orange and starts to clump together.
Step 4: Add cream cheese into the orange sugar and beat with a stand or electric mixer until fully smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
Step 5: Add eggs one by one, beating until fully smooth and scraping down the sides.
Step 6: Add the melted chocolate and mix just until incorporated. Add sour cream, vanilla, and orange juice, mix just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides so that the batter is even and smooth.
Step 7: Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
Place the cheesecake in a round baking pan that is 1" or 2” wider than the cheesecake pan. Place that pan into a large rectangular baking dish where it fits comfortably. See notes for water bath alternatives.
Step 8: Carefully pour the boiling hot water into the large rectangular pan. Carefully transfer the large baking tray with everything inside into the oven using oven mitts.
Step 9: Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 60-75 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
Step 10: Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the waterbath and let cool completely to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Assembly step by step
Step 1: Slice the oranges into ⅛” even slices. You need about 6 even slices of the same size. Bring sugar and water to a simmer on medium heat in a wide pot.
Gently place the orange slices into the simmering syrup with tongs. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, flipping frequently for even cooking. The slices are ready when the rinds look a bit translucent.
Step 2: Place onto a cooling rack with a tray underneath to catch any drippings. Let excess syrup drip off and cool. Any unused orange slices will keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Reserve orange syrup for flavoring drinks in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Step 3: Heat heavy cream and salt in a small saucepan until simmering. Place chocolate chips in a large heat safe bowl. Once simmering, pour cream over chocolate chips. Cover and let sit for 7 minutes. Whisk the ganache until completely smooth.
Step 4: Before serving, pour ganache over the chilled and unmolded cheesecake. Spread it out to the edges and alternate chocolate orange slices and candied orange slices on the edge of the cake. Let the ganache set for 5 minutes in the freezer, slice, and enjoy!
✔️ Expert Cheesecake Tips
- Use good quality, full fat, brick style cream cheese. Low fat cream cheese has too much water content. I use Philadelphia original cream cheese.
- Let the batter ingredients come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before starting. This will help them incorporate evenly.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure a smooth cheesecake batter.
- Bake in a water bath to ensure an even creamy and set filling all the way through.
- Bake until the edges are set and the middle is puffed up and still a little jiggly. Under baking will prevent it from setting properly and overbaking will make it crack.
- Chill the cheesecake for at least eight hours or overnight. This will ensure the best flavor and a perfectly set texture.
🛁 Water bath options
A water bath is essential in making an evenly baked, ultra creamy baked cheesecake without any cracks. In this recipe I provided a couple of options for a water bath depending on what you have on hand.
The best option can be used if you’re using a springform pan. Find a round baking pan that is 1”-2” larger than the pan that the cheesecake is in. This will keep the water out of the cheesecake, preventing it from getting soggy. Nest the chocolate orange cheesecake into the larger pan and then into the large roasting tray where the hot water will be. This is what I have used in this recipe.
If the chocolate orange cheesecake is in a regular round pan (not springform), you can place the pan directly into the water bath because water can’t get in through the bottom edge. Make sure you create a sling out of parchment paper so that you can lift to remove the cheesecake out of the pan after chilling.
If the cheesecake is in a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Try to use a wide enough foil to cover the whole bottom and edges so that water for sure can’t get through the cracks of the springform pan. You can also nestle the springform pan into a heat safe sous vide bag instead of the aluminum foil.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
Cheesecakes make the perfect make ahead dessert because they need to set in the fridge for a while. This makes them a great dessert to make the day before and let chill in the fridge overnight.
The candied orange slices can also be prepared up to a few days ahead of time. Store them in the fridge in an airtight container.
It's best to decorate the cake before serving so that it doesn't get ruined or smushed. You can always decorate it the day before and store it in a cake carrier which will protect it on all sides.
The cheesecake will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days or in the freezer wrapped tightly for up to two months.
🍊 Why rub orange zest and sugar
Grated orange zest and granulated sugar are rubbed together until the sugar becomes orange and fragrant. This helps the zest to release all of its beautiful orange flavor into the chocolate orange cheesecake. Most of the flavor comes from the zest in this recipe so this step is very important!
If you don’t want to feel the zest in the recipe at all, I recommend blending the zest and sugar in a food processor until no more pieces of zest remain. Otherwise, the pieces of zest are barely perceptible.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature so they blend together well. When adding the eggs, add them one by one, mixing in between each egg until the egg yolk disappears into the batter. Lastly, scrape down the bowl frequently so that everything incorporates evenly.
This happens when the cheesecake is overbaked, the oven temperature is too high, or if you don’t use a water bath. Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer and make sure you pull out the cheesecake while the middle is still jiggly.
The cheesecake needs to sit directly in the water bath in order to get the benefit of even heat. Having it on a different tray in the oven just doesn’t work the same.
The cheesecake needs to chill for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight so that it has time to firm up and for the flavors to develop. It will taste much richer and creamier after chilling!
Yes that's what I used! Don't take the filling out of them just crush them up whole.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
Equipment
- eight or nine inch springform baking pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups Oreo crumbs 36 whole oreo cookies, crushed
- 4 tablespoons melted butter cooled
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 orange zested
- 24 oz cream cheese softened (680g)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Candied Orange Slices
- 2 oranges
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup water
Chocolate Ganache
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Assembly
- 8 slices terry chocolate orange
- 8 slices candied orange
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease an 8” or 9” round springform pan with a piece of cold butter.
- Use a food processor to crush whole oreos into fine crumbs. Or place oreos in a large bag and crush with a rolling pin. Combine crushed oreos, butter, and sea salt in a large bowl until even.3 cups Oreo crumbs, 4 tablespoons melted butter, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Pour crust mixture into greased pan and spread out to the edges. Use the bottom of a glass to pack tightly, pushing the crumbs halfway up the edges. Bake for 12 minutes. Work on the filling in the meantime.
Cheesecake
- Pour a few inches of water in the bottom of a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Find a heatsafe bowl that fits on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Place chocolate chips and cream into the bowl, bowl onto saucepan, and stir until melted. Remove from saucepan and let cool to room temperature.2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Fill a kettle full of water and set it to boil for the water bath.
- Place sugar, salt, and orange zest into large bowl or stand mixer. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes pale orange and starts to clump together.¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 orange, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add cream cheese into the orange sugar and beat with a stand or electric mixer until fully smooth.24 oz cream cheese
- Add eggs one by one, beating until fully smooth and scraping down the sides.3 large eggs
- Add the melted chocolate and mix just until incorporated. Add sour cream, vanilla, and orange juice, mix just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides so that the batter is even and smooth. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.½ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup orange juice
- Place the cheesecake into a round baking pan that is 1" to 2” wider than the cheesecake pan. Place that pan into a large rectangular baking dish where it fits comfortably. See notes for water bath alternatives. Carefully pour the boiling hot water into the large rectangular pan. Carefully transfer the large baking tray with everything inside into the oven using oven mitts.
- Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 60-75 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
- Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool completely to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Candied Orange Slices
- Slice the oranges into ⅛” even slices. You need about 6 even slices of the same size. Bring sugar and water to a simmer on medium heat in a wide pot.2 oranges, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 ½ cup water
- Gently place the orange slices into the simmering syrup with tongs. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, flipping frequently for even cooking. The slices are ready when the rinds look a bit translucent.
- Place onto a cooling rack with a tray underneath to catch any drippings. Let excess syrup drip off and cool. Any unused orange slices will keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Reserve orange syrup for flavouring drinks in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat heavy cream and salt in a small saucepan until simmering. Place chocolate chips in a large heat safe bowl. Once simmering, pour cream over chocolate chips. Cover and let sit for 7 minutes. Whisk the ganache until completely smooth.¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Assembly
- Before Serving, pour ganache over the chilled and unmolded cheesecake. Spread it out to the edges and alternate chocolate orange slices and candied orange slices on the edge of the cake. Let the ganache set for 5 minutes in the freezer, slice, and enjoy!8 slices terry chocolate orange, 8 slices candied orange
Video
Notes
- (The best option) Find a round baking pan that is 1”-2” larger than the pan that the cheesecake is in. This will keep the water out of the cheesecake preventing it from getting soggy. Nest the cheesecake into the larger pan and then into the large roasting tray where the hot water will be. *This is for if the cheesecake is in a springform pan*
- If the cheesecake is in a regular round pan (not springform), you can place the pan directly into the water bath because water can’t get in through the bottom edge. Make sure you create a sling out of parchment paper so that you can lift to remove the cheesecake out of the pan after chilling.
- If the cheesecake is in a springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Try to use a wide enough foil to cover the whole bottom and edges. You can also nestle the springform pan into a heat safe sous vide bag instead of the aluminum foil.
Hena
How do we make terrys chocolate slices
Mary
They're store-bought, you might be able to find them on amazon!
Kay T.
Made this luscious recipe for our neighbors’ Christmas Eve gathering. It was so delicious! Thankyou for sharing this & am looking forward to trying more of your wonderful recipes. You are a master!
Lora
I made this for a birthday, and it turned out great. I followed the recipe nearly exactly. The orange flavor came through well, and the cake was beautiful. I appreciated the recap of the ingredients in each stage of the instructions. My only constructive criticism is the 20-minute prep time that’s listed. I’d add another hour to that. 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Mary
Thanks so much, so happy that you liked the recipe! 😀 I'll adjust the prep time for sure haha
Angela
The Chocolate Orznge Cheesecake came out perfectly. Very creamy texture, great flavour combination and lovely aroma wafted out when the cake dome was lifted. All the instructions were so well organized and clearly presented, making the recipe easy to follow. This one's a keeper.
Mary
Thank you so much! It was definitely a favourite at my home too 😀
Anna
I made this and it was such a hit. The cheesecake is really creamy, they weren't kidding! It sliced well and tasted like Terry's chocolate orange.