Ultimate Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

WillsMommy's Note:

This recipe is originally from Woman's Day Magazine. Watch out, it's incredibly rich and decadent. You can make it up through step 5 a couple of days before you need it, then glaze it an hour or two before serving and refrigerate to set the glaze. You can also substitute Neufchâtel cheese for the cream cheese to reduce the fat content. Make sure to use good quality white chocolate chips so that they'll melt well. I also occasionally sub the semisweet chocolate for 60% cacao chocolate and use the semisweet for the glaze. Cook time includes refrigeration time. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 120 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 120 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-10

Yield: 8.0 slices

Crust

• ¼ cup butter , softened
• 1 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs (about 27 Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers or 20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed)

Filling

• 3 (8 ounce) packages reduced-fat cream cheese , softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces milk chocolate (1/2 bag milk choc. chips)
• 4 ounces white chocolate (1/2 bag white choc. chips)
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (1/2 bag semisweet choc. chips)

Chocolate Glaze

• 3 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate
• 2 tablespoons stick butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F You’ll need an 8 x 3-in. springform pan coated with nonstick spray.
2. Crust: In small bowl, rub butter into crumbs until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press firmly over bottom of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
3. Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth. With mixer on low speed beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then sour cream and vanilla just until blended.
4. Divide the batter evenly (about 2 cups each) among 3 medium bowls. Melt the chocolates separately. Stir milk chocolate into 1 bowl of batter, white chocolate into another and semisweet chocolate into third. Spread milk chocolate batter in prepared crust in an even layer. Carefully spoon white chocolate batter over milk chocolate layer to cover; gently smooth with an offset spatula (do not let batters run together). Spoon semisweet chocolate batter over white chocolate layer to cover; smooth with an offset spatula.
5. Bake 1 and 1/4 hours or until set and center still jiggles slightly when shaken (cake should have pulled away from sides of pan; if not, carefully run a thin knife around edge of pan to release cheesecake). Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
6. Chocolate Glaze: Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan; whisk over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; let cool 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove pan sides; place cheesecake on serving plate. Spread glaze over top of cheesecake, just to the edge (some glaze may drip down side of cake). Refrigerate just until glaze is set or, if chilled longer, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.