This Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake is a rich, velvety, creamy indulgence. Baked in the oven, its easy to make in less than 1 hour from start to finish. Made with a combination of smooth ricotta, cream cheese and yoghurt for the ultimate soft fluffy cheesecake with two types of chocolate.
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What Makes This Recipe Special
- Its naturally sweetened with no refined sugars
- Needs just 15 to 20 minutes of prep, and 30 minutes in the oven
- It can be made ahead so its the perfect dinner party or special occasion dessert
- Perfect dessert for Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter
- It's got real melted chocolate in it and is rich and creamy
- No precooking the base - cook the whole thing in one go
- Lots of protein thanks to the eggs and ricotta.
- Is awesome with your favourite berries (hello raspberries and blueberries!)
Love cheesecake, but don't want to make a big one? Then check out my mini cheesecakes. They're perfectly bite sized and portion controlled: Mini Mocha Cheesecakes with coffee and chocolate and Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes.
Or take a shortcut and make Chocolate Cheesecake in a Jar.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese/Ricotta/Yoghurt: Buy full fat if you can as it will make a different to the overall creaminess and thickness of the cheesecake
- Medjool Dates: Be sure to remove the seeds before putting into the food processor. Alternatively you can also buy pitted dates with the seeds already removed. Buy medjool dates from the fresh fruit and vege section of your supermarket.
- A note on regular dates: I would avoid using regular dates as they are not as sweet or moist as medjool dates. For this recipe, the dates act as a binder to hold the base together therefore the stickiness of the date is important.
- Sweetener: I use Lakanto Monkfruit as the granulated sweetener. It measures just like sugar and has no weird aftertaste. Its available from the baking aisle of Woolworths and Coles and online. Any type of granulated sweetener that measures like sugar can be used in lieu of monkfruit. I recommend Natvia Stevia Baking Blend if you can't find Monkfruit.
- Chocolate: Sugar free chocolate bars are generally available from the health food aisle of major supermarkets. Alternatively if you can't find sugar free chocolate, buy the darkest chocolate you can find eg: 70% or 80% Cocoa. Milk chocolate is OK, but dark chocolate gives this cheesecake a lovely richness.
How To Make This Recipe
To make this recipe you'll need a food processor and a round 23 cm (9 inch) springform tin.
First: Make the Base
- Blitz walnuts in food processor until they resemble a crumb
- Add the pitted dates (seeds removed) and cocoa powder. Blitz until a moist crumb is formed
- Pour crumb mixture into a springform tin lined with baking paper. Firmly press down to make the base. Dampen fingers with a little water if mixture is sticking to them.
Second: Make the Filling
- Clean food processor and blitz together cream cheese, ricotta , yogurt, granulated sweetener cocoa powder. Filling will be thick.
- Add the eggs, salt, vanilla. Blitz again until smooth and velvety.
- Pour cheesecake filling onto base, making sure to pop any air bubbles.
Third: Bake in the Oven
- Put cheesecake into oven and bake at to 180 degrees C, 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and let it cool to room temperature.
- Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Recipe Tips
I like to a combination of powdered unsweetened cocoa powder, and a chocolate bar that has been melted. This gives it a nice balance of richness, without it being overpowering, or too mild.
The easiest way is to use a microwave safe jug. Break chocolate into pieces, and microwave on 50% power for a couple of minutes. Check to see if its melted enough. Continue to melt at 50% power until melted, checking as you go.
Full fat, smooth ricotta is the best to use for a soft fluffy cheesecake that perfectly balances with the cream cheese and yoghurt. Avoid low fat and lumpy varieties.
It will last 3 days in an air tight container in the fridge.
Once time has gone off, remove from oven. If cheesecake has no wobble when you gently move it side to side, it is cooked. Gently touch the centre of the cheesecake with your finger to test for firmness.
Serving Tips
Note: Cheesecake should be fully cooled before attempting to add the finishing touches. Best to do this the next day after its been in the fridge overnight.
- To Finish Option 1: Dust with a shaking of cocoa powder for an extra chocolate hit.
- To Finish Option 2: Grate a chocolate bar over the cheesecake and add your favourite nuts on top
- To Finish Option 3: Melt some more sugar free chocolate in the microwave and pour over - it will only take a few minutes to set
- To Serve: Double Cream and raspberries
Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake (No Sugar)
Ingredients
Base
- 13 medium medjool dates seeds removed
- 2 cups walnuts packed tightly
- 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Filling
- 1 block of Cream Cheese - equiv to 1 cup or8 oz, room temp
- 1 cup Smooth Ricotta
- 1 cup Granulated Sweetener
- ½ cup Plain Greek Yoghurt
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 3 medium eggs
- ⅓ cup Sugar Free Dark Chocolate - melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Base
- Blitz walnuts in food processor until they resemble a crumb
- Add the pitted dates (seeds removed) and cocoa powder. Blitz until a moist crumb is formed
- Line springform tin with baking paper, and pour in crumb mixture. Firmly press down to make the base. Dampen fingers with a little water if mixture is sticking to them.
Filling
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, 350 degrees F
- In a clean food processor, blitz together cream cheese, ricotta , yogurt, granulated sweetener, cocoa powder. Filling will be thick.
- Add the eggs, salt, vanilla and melted chocolate. Blitz again until smooth and velvety.
- Pour cheesecake filling onto base, making sure to pop any air bubbles.
- Put cheesecake into oven and bake at to 180 degrees C, 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and let it cool to room temperature whilst still in springform tin.
- Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight - still in springform tin. The next day, to remove from tin, use a clean knife to run around the edge of the tin before releasing the sides. Pull away bottom and gently remove paper from base. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 days.
- To Finish: Dust with a shaking of cocoa powder for an extra chocolate hit.
- To Serve: Double Cream and raspberries
Notes
- This recipe is best made a day ahead so that it has plenty of time to set in the fridge.
- Cream Cheese/Ricotta/Yoghurt: Buy full fat if you can as it will make a different to the overall creaminess and thickness of the cheesecake
- Medjool Dates: Be sure to remove the seeds before putting into the food processor. Alternatively you can also buy pitted dates with the seeds already removed. Buy medjool dates from the fresh fruit and vege section of your supermarket.
- A note on regular dates: I would avoid using regular dates as they are not as sweet or moist as medjool dates. For this recipe, the dates act as a binder to hold the base together therefore the stickiness of the date is important.
- Sweetener: I use Lakanto Monkfruit as the granulated sweetener. It measures just like sugar and has no weird aftertaste. Its available from the baking aisle of Woolworths and Coles and online. Any type of granulated sweetener that measures like sugar can be used in lieu of monkfruit. I recommend Natvia Stevia Baking Blend if you can't find Monkfruit.
- Chocolate: Sugar free chocolate bars are generally available from the health food aisle of major supermarkets. Alternatively if you can't find sugar free chocolate, buy the darkest chocolate you can find eg: 70% or 80% Cocoa. Milk chocolate is OK, but dark chocolate gives this cheesecake a lovely richness.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
Brittany Robalt says
These look yum!
Aria says
Wow!!!This sounds delicious and looks even prettier!
Kim says
Hi Aria, Yep, they were delicious. Really who could go past chocolate and raspberries. 🙂