For the past three years, my husband has asked for this cheesecake for his birthday.

He loves all cheesecake…and I love dark chocolate, especially Dove dark chocolate… the perfect way that it melts on your tongue and how smooth it is.

So anytime I have a recipe that calls for dark chocolate I reach for the Dove.

And what goes better with chocolate than strawberries?!

This is by far our favorite cheesecake of all times from any restaurant I’ve ever had cheesecake at to any that I’ve made myself…this is our favorite!

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The search for the perfect cheesecake is over!

Some cheesecake recipes can be too dense, too soft, too rich, lumpy, have too many flavors going on…or not enough flavor. Not to mention the deep cracks that appear in the middle of your hard work. I have the perfect recipe that fixes all of these problems. Here are a few tips to remember when making cheesecake:

While some small cracks are ok, the deep cracks in the middle of a cheesecake are due to temperature and the rate at which your cheesecake heats up. To avoid the large cracks make sure your eggs and cream cheese are at room temperature. This also will ensure a smooth lump free texture. Slowly cool down the cheesecake by leaving in a cracked oven that has been turned off for 30 minutes to an hour after cooking, then let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before placing in the fridge. A few small cracks around the edge is ok- don’t worry. After all, you are putting a raspberry puree on the top that will cover any small cracks.

Cooking in a water bath also allows the cake to stay moist and will also keep the cake from cracking and drying out. Just be careful not to splash the water everywhere when placing the pan into the oven. My tip is to place in the oven before adding the water-less chance of spills…however you will want to make sure that you do it quickly so you don’t lose the heat from your preheated oven. 

When you place your cooked cheesecake into the fridge to chill don’t place any plastic wrap over it until it is fully cooled so that you don’t have any condensation that forms on the top of the cheesecake…if you do have any condensation or wetness that occurs you can take a paper towel and carefully blot the top to soak up the water.

Remember these tips and they will result in a perfect, show-stopping dessert!

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