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Hot Cocoa Cheesecake has all of the flavors of a cup of hot cocoa tucked into a rich, creamy cheesecake! You’ll love this cheesecake, right down to the mini marshmallows on top.
This post is sponsored by Campfire® Marshmallows. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make My Baking Addiction possible.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we are a cheesecake lovin’ family.
No matter what treats grace our dessert table, the cheesecake always goes first.
In fact, on Thanksgiving we had pumpkin pie, pumpkin crunch cake, apple pie, cranberry fluff, pumpkin roll and cherry cheesecake. Guess what went first?
Yep, every single piece of cheesecake disappeared within minutes. My family was actually hiding it on plates and in to-go containers around the kitchen.
Not to toot my horn, but you guys, I make one heck of a cheesecake and this Hot Cocoa Cheesecake is no exception.
HOT COCOA CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Does anyone else sometimes roam the aisles of their local grocery store for fun?
I mean, okay, maybe I’m a little skewed because I bake for a living. But I like to see what’s new that I can play with when I’m developing recipes.
The other day, on one of my many weekly grocery trips, I spotted a hot cocoa flavored coffee creamer and my mental wheels started spinning. I had to figure out a way to use use it in a recipe immediately.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, it’s pretty amazing in coffee too!
A few years back, I made a Sugar Cookie Cheesecake using coffee creamer in place of the heavy cream I would normally use in my cheesecake recipes.
You all know how much I love cheesecake, right? So obviously a Hot Cocoa Cheesecake just had to happen using that same coffee creamer trick.
HOW TO MAKE HOT COCOA CHEESECAKE
I knew I was going to use the hot cocoa coffee creamer to make my Hot Cocoa Cheesecake filling, but obviously I needed to pull in the flavors of hot cocoa throughout the rest of the cheesecake.
Not to sound like Buddy the Elf, but you can never have too much hot cocoa.
An Oreo cookie crust was a pretty clear choice for the crust. To make an Oreo crust, simply swap crushed Oreo cookies for graham crackers in a typical cheesecake crust. Make sure to use the whole cookies, cream filling and all!
Making the Hot Cocoa Cheesecake filling is the same process that we typically follow for cheesecakes. Start by beating the cream cheese well, then add the sugar. Eggs get added one at a time before adding the hot cocoa coffee creamer mixed with melted chocolate.
Once the cheesecake is baked and chilled and we’re ready to serve it, I topped it with whipped cream and finished it with Campfire® Mini White Marshmallows and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Because no cup of hot cocoa would be complete without marshmallows, and this Hot Cocoa Cheesecake isn’t either!
I’ve turned to Campfire® Marshmallows endless times over the past few years whenever I needed the perfect marshmallows for my recipes, just like with this Hot Cocoa Cheesecake because, in my opinion, they are simply the best marshmallows on the market.
We’ve created tons of delicious dishes and desserts throughout 2018 and have even more coming your way as we look to the new year.
We even created a Marshmallow Madness Pinterest board where we’ve pinned loads of delicious ooey-gooey marshmallow recipes, just like Hot Cocoa Cheesecake and some of my other seasonal favorites including Gingerbread Marshmallow Treat Cupcakes and White Chocolate Peppermint Cocoa.
Make Hot Cocoa Cheesecake this season and add it to your holiday table. You’ll love everything from the rich, creamy filling to the fluffy marshmallows on top.
Hot Cocoa Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 20 Oreo cookies crushed in a food processor until they form fine crumbs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup flavored coffee creamer or heavy cream (I used Coffee-Mate Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Creamer)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the Topping:
- whipped cream
- Campfire® Mini White Marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Tightly wrap a 9-inch springform pan in heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath. I also take the extra step by placing the foil wrapped springform pan inside an oven bag while baking, but this is optional. Lightly spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix together the Oreo cookie crumbs and butter and press them into the bottom of your pan. Bake for 8 minutes and place on a wire rack to cool.
- Begin to boil a pot or kettle of water for the water bath.
- Combine the chocolate chips and coffee creamer in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Be sure to stir the mixture every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with your paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add in the chocolate mixture and beat until it is fully incorporated into the cheesecake filling. Add in the flour and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and beat again until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared crust. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake for 60 minutes. The edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have a slight jiggle to it. At this point, turn off the oven, but leave the door cracked and allow the cheesecake to rest in the cooling oven for one hour.
- After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Before serving, top with whipped cream and Campfire® Mini White Marshmallows.
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’ve never seen the Campfire marshmallows. Are they different from the regular mini ones?
Hi Brian – They’re my favorite brand of marshmallows. You can use their store locator on their site to find where to get them near you: https://www.campfiremarshmallows.com/contact-us/store-locator/ Hope this helps!
Jamie
Sorry, new to this, but this sounds like something my wife would love. But, why use coffee creamer instead of hot cocoa or hot cocoa instant mix?
Hi Paul – I like using the flavored coffee creamer because adding powdered hot cocoa mix may not incorporate as well as the creamer does. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
I assumed a powdered mix might not be ideal, that’s why I was asking about Hot cocoa. Would it work just using regular hot cocoa, or do you need something thicker? The reason I ask is that this creamer mentioned is very hard to find in San Diego. Thanks!
I haven’t attempted this recipe with anything besides the creamer, so I am not sure of the result. The creamer definitely works because it is able to stand-in for the cream you’d normally use in a cheesecake. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
What would you recommend, amount wise, if I want to use chocolate biscuits I make for my kiddos instead of Oreos? Would 40 two-inch rounds be enough, or would I need to add in a shortening to simulate the frosting?
Hi Kelly – As long as the chocolate cookies are crunchy like graham crackers or Oreo cookies, you should be able to use them like you would use graham crackers. Since they don’t have the cream filling, you might try the graham cracker crust recipe from my Pumpkin Cheesecake and simply use the chocolate cookies instead of the graham crackers: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-cheesecake/
I hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
Hello, this spinds great. Can the recipe be afapted to mini cheesecakes? I wanted to serve at party. Thank you.
Hi Maryann – I haven’t made this recipe into mini cheesecakes. However, you could certainly give it a try based on my Mini Cherry Almond Cheesecake recipe: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/mini-cherry-almond-cheesecakes/. This recipe makes about twice as much filling as that mini cherry cheesecake recipe, so you should be able to get somewhere around twice as many mini cheesecakes. If you happen to give it a try, let me know how they turn out! Happy baking.
Jamie
This is my favourite flavor of cake…I will also try this.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Where did you find the marshmallow hot cocoa flavored coffee creamer? I went to the Coffee-Mate website to try to find where to buy, but don’t see that flavor listed. Sounds delicious!
Hi Susan – I was able to find it at Wal-Mart, actually: https://www.walmart.com/ip/COFFEE-MATE-Marshmallow-Hot-Cocoa-Liquid-Coffee-Creamer-32-fl-oz-Bottle/975851351. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
I vote for you to share even MORE of your tantalizing holiday cheesecake recipes, please! :)
Thanks so much for stopping by, Liz! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
This recipe sounds delish! I’m adding this to my
Christmas dessert menu. How looking will this keep in the refrigerator? Thank you.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I would eat it within 2-3 days or so. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
At which point to we take the cake out of the pan? I would like think it’s right when you take it out of the water bath? Just double checking. Looking forward to making for Christmas this year!!!
Hi Deborah – You’ll want to wait for the cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the pan. In fact, I like to wait until the cheesecake has chilled and remove the pan right before serving. Hope this helps!
Jamie
What a wonderful and creative idea for a Christmas dessert! This cake looks so delicious!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Natalie! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie