Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A two-stage dessert built the way a pastry kitchen would: a dense, water-bathed vanilla cheesecake on a cocoa cookie crust, sealed with a whisper-thin layer of ganache, then crowned with piped rosettes of gelatin-stabilised dark chocolate mousse. The whole trick is patience — each layer gets fully cold before the next one goes on, so the mousse holds its shape and the slices cut clean.

Ingredients

• 9 oz chocolate sandwich cookies or chocolate wafer cookies (about 28 cookies)
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 24 oz full-fat cream cheese (three 8-oz blocks), room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 1/2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
• 3 tbsp cold water
• 7 oz bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled (divided)
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate, shaved into curls
• flaky sea salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Wrap the outside bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty foil, pressing tightly so no water can seep in. Lightly butter the inside.
2. Pulse the cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs (about 2 cups). Add the sugar, salt, and melted butter and pulse until the crumbs look like wet sand. Press firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup. Bake 10 minutes, then cool on a rack while you make the filling.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on medium-low for 2 minutes until completely smooth, scraping the bowl twice. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt and beat 2 minutes more. Keep the speed low throughout — beating in air is what causes cracks.
4. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla until uniform. Add the eggs and the yolk one at a time, mixing just 15–20 seconds after each and scraping the bowl. Stop the moment the last egg disappears; the batter should be pourable and glossy with no visible bubbles. Pour over the cooled crust and smooth the top.
5. Set the foil-wrapped pan in a roasting pan and pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come 1 inch up the sides. Bake 55–65 minutes, until the outer 2 inches are set and the center 3 inches jiggle as one soft unit when nudged (center reads 150°F on an instant-read thermometer).
6. Turn the oven off, prop the door open a few inches, and let the cheesecake sit in the cooling oven for 45 minutes. Lift it out of the water bath, remove the foil, and cool on a rack to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, then cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. The base must be cold and firm before anything goes on top.
7. Make the ganache seal: heat the 1/4 cup cream until steaming, pour over the 3 oz chopped chocolate, wait 1 minute, then stir smooth. Let cool 5 minutes until barely warm. Pour over the chilled cheesecake and spread into a thin, even layer with an offset spatula, stopping 1/4 inch from the edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. This layer keeps the mousse from weeping into the cheesecake.
8. Make the mousse: sprinkle the gelatin over the 3 tbsp cold water in a small bowl and let bloom 5 minutes. Melt the 7 oz chocolate in a bowl set over barely simmering water, then remove from the heat. Warm 1/2 cup of the heavy cream to just steaming, whisk in the bloomed gelatin until fully dissolved, then whisk the hot cream mixture into the melted chocolate in three additions until you have a smooth, glossy ganache. Let it cool to 85–90°F — warm to the touch but no longer hot.
9. Whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups cold cream with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to soft peaks that just barely hold their shape. Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate ganache to lighten it, then fold in the rest in two additions with a flexible spatula, stopping while a few faint streaks remain. Do not overwork it — the gelatin is already doing the structural work.
10. Transfer half the mousse to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Spread the other half over the ganache in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border, and smooth the top. Pipe the remaining mousse in tight rosettes or overlapping swirls across the surface. Chill uncovered at least 3 hours, until the mousse is fully set and dry to a light touch.
11. Run a thin knife dipped in hot water around the inside of the pan, then release the springform ring. Dust the mousse lightly with cocoa powder through a fine sieve, scatter chocolate curls over the top, and add a few flakes of sea salt if you like.
12. Slice with a long thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between every cut. Serve cold, straight from the refrigerator.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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