Amy's Marvelous Marbled Cheesecake

Recipe View Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). (5 minutes)

Recipe View In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the crushed chocolate graham crackers and softened butter until evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to create a compact crust. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. (10 minutes)

Recipe View Place the finely chopped semisweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Be careful not to overheat. (3 minutes)

Recipe View In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light, creamy, and completely smooth. Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing. (7 minutes)

Recipe View Remove 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture from the large bowl and gently fold it into the melted chocolate until evenly combined. (3 minutes)

Recipe View Pour the plain cream cheese batter into the prepared crust, spreading it evenly. Randomly drop spoonfuls of the chocolate cream cheese batter over the top of the plain batter. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Using a knife or skewer, gently swirl the chocolate batter into the vanilla batter to create a beautiful marbled effect. Be careful not to overmix, as this will muddy the colors. (2 minutes)

Recipe View Bake in the preheated oven until the center of the cheesecake is just set but still has a slight wobble, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. (30-35 minutes)

Recipe View Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 1 hour. This helps prevent cracking. (60 minutes)

Recipe View Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack. (60 minutes)

Recipe View Once cooled, cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to meld and the cheesecake to fully set. (180 minutes)

Recipe View Before serving, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. Slice and serve chilled. Enjoy!