Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake

partially cut chocolate cheesecake on a cake stand with strawberries

5 from 7 votes

This crustless Chocolate Cheesecake is fabulous and happens to be gluten-free! It's fluffy, creamy and has the best chocolate flavor! Our newly scaled-down version fits perfectly in a 9-inch springform.

Prep Time25

Cook Time27

Total Time52

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Mamma C

Equipment

9-inch springform pan

Ingredients

4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese (at room temperature)
5 large eggs (room temperature)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate bars
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate bars
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces sour cream (Light is fine. Room temperature.)
strawberries for serving (optional)

Instructions

Two hours ahead of time, unwrap the cream cheese blocks and set them out at room temperature to soften. Also set out the eggs and sour cream. When the cream cheese is softened, start the recipe.
Move the top oven rack down to the second lowest position in your oven (to prevent over browning the cheesecake), with nothing above it. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, making sure to coat the sides well. (If using a dark springform pan, you'll need to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees F for this recipe, or the cheesecake will brown too much. You'll start at 375 degrees, then lower to 350 degrees.)
Fill a roasting pan ¼ full with hot water. Prepare your springform pan to prevent water from seeping into it during baking. If you have a large pie dish, place the springform in it. If you don't have a pie dish large enough, you'll need to wrap the outside of the springform pan with heavy-duty foil (or a double layer of regular foil), covering the bottom, up the sides and inside the top of the rim.
In a large mixing bowl, add one block of cream cheese and beat it until creamy. Continue adding one block of cream cheese at a time and beating well, scraping the beaters and bowl as needed. There must not be any lumps in your batter.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition on low.
Break up all of the chocolate bars into pieces and add them to a microwaveable bowl. Cover loosely and heat on high in the microwave for a minute, then stir. Heat for another 50-60 seconds and stir. Heat for another 30 seconds or more as needed, stirring afterward until the chocolate is fully melted. Set aside to cool. You will need to wait until all of the other ingredients have been added before you mix in the chocolate.
Add the sugar, salt and vanilla and mix to combine. Then add the sour cream and mix to combine, scraping the beaters and bowl as needed.
Touch the melted chocolate to make sure it's not hot and has almost reached room temperature. Add the melted chocolate to the batter and mix until combined, scraping the batter and bowl as needed. Then beat on high (or as high as you can without splashing) for seven minutes.
Transfer the batter to the springform pan. Place the springform and bottom pie dish in the water bath and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. (Use 375 degrees F for a dark pan.) Then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F (use 350 degrees F for a dark pan) and bake for 25-35 minutes. The top should be set, except for a small circle in the middle. Do not insert anything into the cheesecake to test it, or it will crack. Turn off the heat and let the cheesecake stay in the oven with the door ajar for one hour.
Leave the cheesecake in the springform pan and let it finish cooling on a wire rack. Refrigerate the cheesecake in the pan overnight before cutting into it. Refrigerate it uncovered if you can, unless you have strong odors in your fridge from onions or something. (See notes.)
Slice the cheesecake when it's cold and firm, right out of the refrigerator. To slice, remove the outer circle of the pan. Use a knife dipped in warm water and cut straight down without sawing. Wipe the knife clean after each cut. (Keep the bottom of the pan under the cheesecake. You can even place the cheesecake with the bottom portion of the pan on a cake stand.)
Serve the cheesecake plain or with strawberries, if desired. It's also great with whipped cream. Store it in the refrigerator in the springform pan for up to three days or cover the pan of cheesecake with plastic and foil and freeze it for up to 3 weeks.

Video

Notes

Whenever I cover the cheesecake with foil or wrap the first night, a few drops of moisture pool on top of the cheesecake, leaving a water stain on its surface. If you don't have strong odors in your fridge, try leaving the cheesecake uncovered.
We haven't tried making this with a crust.

Nutrition