Ingredients:

  • 300g chocolate sandwich cookies
  • 70g unsalted butter, melted
  • 0.5 tsp sea salt
  • 900g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 120g sour cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh orange zest
  • 60ml fresh orange juice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 150g dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled
  • 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped (for ganache)
  • 100ml heavy cream (for ganache)
  • 0.25 tsp orange extract

Instructions:

  1. Pulse chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor until they resemble fine sand.
  2. Stir in melted butter and sea salt. Press firmly into the base of a 9-inch springform pan.
  3. Heat the oven to 325°F and bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.
  4. Pulse sugar with orange zest to release citrus oils. In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and zested sugar until smooth.
  5. Add eggs one at a time on low speed, followed by sour cream, orange juice, vanilla extract and orange extract.
  6. Fold in the 150g of melted and cooled dark chocolate until fully incorporated.
  7. Wrap the outside of the springform pan in heavy-duty foil. Pour batter over the crust and place the pan inside a large roasting pan filled with hot water until halfway up the sides.
  8. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle.
  9. Prepare ganache by heating heavy cream and pouring over chopped chocolate; stir until glossy and pour over chilled cheesecake.