I always have one chocolate dessert on my Christmas dessert table, and it’s usually a cheesecake of some sort. I feel like the flavor combination of chocolate plus orange is holiday-ish because of those chocolate oranges that we used to eat as kids from our stockings. Trust me when I say that this chocolate orange cheesecake is way better than those waxy chocolate oranges! The filling is smooth and creamy, and the crust is like one big crisp Oreo. This recipe is a version of my no bake chocolate cheesecake, but with an orange zest twist. The layer of melted chocolate on top contains orange zest, and so does the creamy no bake cheesecake filling. You will taste plenty of chocolate and orange together. If you can’t get enough of this flavor combination, try my chocolate orange cake, too.
How to Make Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
One crucial step for this recipe is to let the cream cheese soften to room temperature fully before beating. If you skip this step, your final product will have lumps. The lumps will not dissipate no matter what you do, so do not skip this step! I also really recommend starting with real Oreos instead of using pre-crushed oreo crumbs. This is because we need the white cream filling to help the crust stick together. The box of pre-crushed oreo crumbs is much drier because it doesn’t contain the cream filling. Do not use plain chocolate wafers either. We need 15 oreos, straight from the package.
The Ingredients
Oreos. If you buy a package of Oreos, can you resist eating the last 15 of them? You only need 15 regular oreos to make the crust, and then the rest of the package is yours. Butter. A small amount of melted butter holds the crust together with the crushed Oreos. When the no bake chocolate orange cheesecake is chilled in the fridge to set, the butter hardens again and makes the crust firm and crisp. Heavy Cream. Because this is a no bake recipe, we’re whipping cream to fold into the cream cheese. This makes a firm yet creamy cheesecake filling! Chocolate. Six ounces of melted semisweet chocolate is the main component to the filling here. When the dessert goes back into the fridge to set, the chocolate solidifies again slightly to help hold the cheesecake together. Use your favorite chocolate here. I highly recommend chopping up a bar of semisweet or dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips, because the chips have a bit of wax on them to resist melting. A chopped chocolate bar melts much easier. Cream Cheese. One and a half (12 ounces) packages of full-fat cream cheese that has been softened completely to room temperature. Do not skip the softening step! If your cream cheese is not room temperature, it will be lumpy, and no amount of mixing will remove the lumps. Unwrap the cream cheese, slice it into chunks and let it rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours before using. Powdered Sugar. A small amount of powdered sugar to sweeten the filling. Vanilla Extract. Vanilla enhances the flavor of chocolate so 1 teaspoon of the real stuff brings so much flavor. Orange. We need 1 teaspoon of orange zest for the filling and half a teaspoon of orange zest for the topping. We don’t actually need any of the juice, so you can save it for later.
The Directions
If you want the chocolate topping soft, make it just before serving. If you want it to set up like ganache, make it a few hours before serving. To make the topping: combine the chopped chocolate and heavy cream in a small bowl. Use a double boiler to melt (or a microwave at 50% power). Once melted and smooth, add the a half-teaspoon of leftover orange zest from the orange. Pour the chocolate on top of the cheesecake, spreading it to the edges with a spatula. Let it set to harden, or serve immediately. Small note: you can save the orange zest to decorate the top of the cheesecake with instead of stirring it into the chocolate topping.
How to scale up this chocolate orange cheesecake:
This cheesecake is made in a loaf pan, which makes 6 small slices of cheesecake. It’s the perfect amount for a small household or a small party. If you want to make it larger, simple double all of the ingredients and spread it in an 8-inch square pan. This is the same pan you use for making brownies, by the way. You can also double this recipe and use a 9-inch springform pan, but please note that it won’t come all the way to the top of the pan. It will be a slightly smaller cheesecake than normal, which helps the slices stay together when cut. Because it is a no bake filling, it is slightly harder to cut and serve. The texture of a no bake cheesecake is slightly softer than a regular cheesecake that is baked and set with eggs. I’ve done my best to replicate the same texture by balancing the cream cheese with whipped cream and chocolate. This tastes best when served cold, straight from the fridge. When it warms up, it becomes overly soft.
Other no bake cheesecake recipes:
No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake No Bake Blackberry Cheesecake Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
You can double this recipe and spread it in an 8-inch square or 9-inch springform pan. For the ganache topping, it’s prettier to decorate with the orange zest rather than stir it into the chocolate, because it creates little lumps in the chocolate.
