This small batch chocolate cheesecake has everything you love about chocolate cheesecake, but scaled down and made in a loaf. It’s incredibly creamy with a delicious chocolate flavor. Serves 4-6.

After making a small batch New York cheesecake recipe, I decided that I needed to make a small batch version of my favorite chocolate cheesecake. It starts with a thick and crunchy Oreo cookie crust followed by the creamiest chocolate cheesecake. The cheesecake batter is slightly tangy, not too sweet and has the perfect chocolate flavor that’s rich without going overboard. Then its topped with an optional chocolate ganache.

You could easily skip the ganache and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a few berries, or leave plain.

As mentioned, this recipe is made in a 9×5 inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan. It will serve about 6 people or 2-4 people with leftovers, so it’s the perfect dessert if you’re having a few friends over for dinner.

Making a Small Batch Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe isn’t overly difficult, but it will need to cool fully and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving – so be sure to allocate enough time.

Below I’ve included step-by-step photos and recipe tips to help ensure success.

You’ll start by making the cookie crust:

1. Crush the Oreo cookies (wafer and filling) in a food processor until the cookies are fine crumbs. You could also crush the cookies by placing them in a freezer bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
2. Then you’ll mix the cookie crumbs together with melted butter. The mixture should hold together if you squeeze it in your palms.
3. Press the cookie crust into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Note that the pan is lined with baking paper so that there’s an overhang horizontally.
4. The crust will bake for about 8 minutes.

As the crust is baking, you’ll get on with making the cheesecake filling.

1. Finely chop the chocolate and place into a heatproof bowl. I recommend using finely chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips because it melts better – but chocolate chips will work too.
2. Heat the cream until almost boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth.
   • If not all the chocolate has melted, then microwave the bowl on medium power for 45-seconds at a time and whisk between each interval. You’ll want to repeat the process until smooth. Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate and cream together in a double boiler.

3. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl a few times to remove any lumps.
   • I recommend sifting the cocoa into the bowl to remove any lumps.
4. Then mix the melted chocolate and cream mixture. Again – scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl a few times is helpful for removing any lumps.

5. Lastly, whisk in the egg. I always whisk in the egg by hand to avoid overmixing. If using your electric mixer, be sure its on a low speed and stop mixing as soon as you no longer see pieces of egg and the batter is an even consistency.

I prefer to bake this small-batch chocolate cheesecake using the waterbath method. The waterbath method minimizes swings in temperature and keeps moisture in the oven to ensure a creamy, crack free cheesecake. You place the loaf pan in the middle of a larger baking pan, then pour about 1 inch of boiling water into the larger baking pan. The whole thing then goes in the oven to bake.

It will bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top looks almost set and when you give the pan a gentle nudge, it still has a slight wobble. Note that if the top has large cracks – it’s been baked too long. But don’t worry – you can cover them with the chocolate ganache topping.

After the cheesecake is baked, it will need to cool slowly then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. Chilling the cheesecake allows it to set properly.

I love to top the cheesecake with a thick layer of creamy chocolate ganache, but that’s totally up to you.

After the cheesecake has chilled, you can lift it out of the pan using the overhang of the baking paper and place on a cutting board. Peel back the baking paper, and then slice. You want to be sure that you cut all the way through the crust using a sharp knife.

Incredibly creamy with the perfect chocolate flavor and a thick Oreo cookie crust – this small batch chocolate cheesecake is the ultimate chocolate dessert for serving a few very lucky people!

More small batch recipes to love:

• Mini Chocolate Cake
• Small Batch Cheesecake
• Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
• Loaf Pan Brownies