If you need a holiday dessert that serves 6 people or less, use this no bake recipe! After crushing oreos and pressing them into a loaf pan, make this no bake Chocolate Orange Cheesecake filling to spread on top. You can make this a day ahead of time, and just leave it in the fridge until you're ready to serve!
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
First, prepare your loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper in one direction. Then, in a food processor or plastic bag, crush the Oreos (keep the cream filling in the cookies). Pour this into a bowl, and stir in the melted butter.
Press the crumbs into the loaf pan, and press them into a flat, firm crust. Set aside.
Place the chopped chocolate in a double boiler to melt (or you can use the microwave on 50% setting and 30 second intervals to melt the chocolate until it’s smooth).
Next, in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until medium peaks form. Scoop the freshly whipped cream out and reserve it in a separate bowl.
In another bowl (or the bowl that you whipped the cream in), add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and orange zest. Beat using an electric mixer until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
Using a spatula, fold the warm melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture.
Finally, fold the whipped cream gently into the cream cheese mixture. Fold by scraping the outsides of the bowl, and then down the middle. Fold gently to incorporate so that the you don’t deflate the air bubbles in the whipped cream.
Scrape the chocolate orange cheesecake mixture into the bread loaf pan, and make it as flat as possible on top. Place the pan in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
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:
Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
No bake chocolate orange cheesecake with chocolate ganache topping and orange zest.
Ingredients
- 15 Oreos (to make 1 cup of crumbs)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 12 ounces (1 ½ bricks) of full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temp
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ of large navel orange, zested (~1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest)
Chocolate Ganache Topping:
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Line an 8 or 9” bread loaf pan with parchment paper, with enough excess to overhang the edges to form handles to lift out the cheesecake. Give the parchment paper and pan a light spray with cooking spray, too.
- In a food processor or plastic bag, crush the Oreos (keep the cream filling in the cookies). Pour the crumbs into a bowl, and stir in the melted butter. Add the crumbs into the loaf pan, and press them into a flat, firm crust.
- Next, place the chopped chocolate in a double boiler to melt (or you can use the microwave on 50% setting and 30 second intervals to melt the chocolate until it’s smooth).
- Then, in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until medium peaks form. Scoop the freshly whipped cream out and reserve it in a separate bowl.
- Next, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and orange zest to the bowl that you scraped out the whipped cream from. Beat using an electric mixer until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Using a spatula, fold the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture.
- Finally, fold the whipped cream gently into the cream cheese mixture. Fold gently to incorporate so that the you don’t deflate the air bubbles in the whipped cream.
- Scrape the mixture into the bread loaf pan, and make it as flat as possible on top.
Place the pan in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight. - 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.
Notes
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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 558Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 3gSugar: 41gProtein: 5g
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