Guinness Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust {Recipe}

My hubby is a chocoholic. For his birthday, it's always a challenge to come up with something new that is chocolatey enough for him.This year, brainstorming brought me this...

A chocolate cheesecake with Guinness, chocolate chunks and a pretzel crumb crust.

What You Need:
For the Crust:
4 cups of pretzels to crush, or approx. 3 cups crushed pretzel crumbs.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (melted)

For the Cheesecake:
3- 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (at room temperature)
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup sour cream (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (6 oz.) Guinness -or similar- beer
3/4 cup (6 oz.) melted semi-sweet chocolate
3 Tbsp. flour or 2 Tbsp. corn starch
Optional: 3/4 cup chocolate chunks

For the Chocolate Ganache Swirl:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (4 oz.) semisweet chocolate

Make the Crust

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees (F). Line a 9-10" springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.

 

Crush the pretzels into small crumbs.

Combine the pretzel crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter in a medium-sized bowl.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is crispy. Turn the heat in the oven down to 325-degrees (F) after removing the crust.

Make the Cheesecake
Start a kettle of water boiling on the stove while you make the cheesecake filling.

Combine the softened cream cheese and the sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add the sour cream. Mix well.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix well.

Add the Guinness. Mix well.
Add the melted chocolate. Mix well.
Add the chocolate chunks (optional).

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared crust.

Wrap the oustides of the springform pan with heavy duty foil, to keep water from seeping in to the pan. Place the foil-wrapped pan into a roasting pan. Place the pan onto the oven racks. Pour 1/2-1" of boiling water into the pan.

Bake the cake at 325-degrees (F) for 45-55 minutes, until the center of the cake is soft, but no longer jiggly.
Remove the cake to a cooling grid for an hour, then place into the refrigerator overnight.

Before removing the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the edge.

I decorated the top of the cake with chocolate ganache swirls.

It was a big hit. I would say the Guinness taste was a little less than I wanted, but I added the chocolate chunks. I think if I wanted more Guinness flavor, I'd leave those chunks out.

Click the Links Below to See:
All of my Chocolate Recipes and Ideas
Chocolate Cheesecake with Peanut Butter Cookie Crust
The Most Ridiculous Chocolate Cake Ever

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