Indulge in a square of lightly spiced and deeply chocolate cheesecake, with distinct layers of chocolate cookie crust, silky smooth chocolate cheesecake infused with chai spices, and a decadent chocolate ganache to finish it all off.
Sugar and spice and everything nice… that’s definitely what these cheesecake bars are made of. Simple to prepare and even easier to eat (no fork required), you’ll love everything about this decadent treat.
If you haven’t already noticed, I love bar-ifying recipes that aren’t typically served as squares. From cookies to coffee cake and even pumpkin pie, squares are quickly becoming my favorite serving shape. Needless to say I’ve definitely been getting my money’s worth out of my trusty 8-by-8 pan.
These chocolate chai cheesecake bars (or, as they’re known colloquially, Ch³ Bars) are adapted from my triple chocolate cheesecake recipe, scaled down and infused with sultry chai spices and transformed into easy-to-eat bars.
Originating from India, chai literally means tea (derived from ‘cha’, the Chinese word for tea, so when you go around saying ‘chai tea’ you’re actually saying ‘tea tea’ FYI). Chai has become a word that is used on its own to describe what is more technically known as masala chai, a fragrant blend of spices infused into a tea-like beverage (often with black tea, but that’s not always the case).
The actual spices that you’ll find in masala chai varies greatly depending on the maker. Most include cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, with some blends containing coriander, star anise, and even black pepper.
In this recipe, the fragrant chai spices meet with dark, bittersweet chocolate in multiple forms for a unique, multi-faceted flavor. Cardamom isn’t a spice you usually see paired with chocolate, which is a shame, as it proves to be a truly transcendent pairing (and considering I’m not usually a huge fan of cardamom, that’s saying something).
You can use the spices as listed, you can also use whole spices, toasted and then ground, for an even more vibrant chai flavor. If you happen to have a pre-made chai spice mix on hand, feel free to use that as well (about 1 to 2 teaspoons depending on how strong you want the spices to be).
Conversely, feel free to leave the spices out entirely for a simple and decadent chocolate cheesecake bar that’ll knock your socks off.
I always like to make my cheesecakes using a food processor, which lets me achieve a perfectly smooth texture without beating any extra air into the batter (which can cause cracks).
The other key to getting a silky smooth cheesecake with no lumps? Room temperature ingredients. In the cooler months, that means getting your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream out at least an hour beforehand, ideally more like 2. If I know I’m baking cheesecake I’ll get my ingredients out first thing in the morning so they’re ready to go when I am.
While you can bring eggs to room temperature quickly by submerging them in warm water for 20 minutes, you really cannot force cream cheese. Using the microwave will often soften the outside of the block too much, while the center is still chilly (and chilly cream cheese will result in lumps). trust me. Plan ahead, let your ingredients come to room temperature on their own time, and you’ll be rewarded with a perfectly smooth cheesecake.
If you’d rather make a full-size cheesecake instead of bars, you’ll have an easier time following my triple chocolate cheesecake recipe, just add your chai spices (2x what’s listed in the recipe below) into the batter along with the flour.
That’s easier than trying to scale this one back up, since the crust and ganache parts are nearly the same, just the filling is scaled down from the original. Cook and cool times should be more accurate as well, accounting for the additional thickness.
If you happen to be cooking for a big crowd, you can also double this recipe as written and bake it in a 13-by-9-inch pan. Cook time will be slightly higher, though not nearly as much as a full-size cheesecake, as it’s still pretty thin overall.
You’ll know your cheesecake is done when it’s set on the edges and just barely jiggly in the middle. The center should jiggle like firm jello; if it still looks like liquid, it needs more time.
While the recipe yields 16 serving-size bars, if you plan to serve these to a crowd, might I suggest going hors d’oeuvre-style and cutting your squares even smaller, and serving them with toothpicks?
Lately I’ve been bringing many of my leftover bakes to my weekly ceramics class. And because of the nature of the environment, namely that everyone has clay all over their hands (and, in my case, clothes and hair and shoes), I wanted to be able to serve these in a way that would allow my classmates to just grab a bite without needing to wash their hands, pop it in their mouths and get back to the messy work of throwing pots. Hence, the bite-sized squares and toothpicks.
It didn’t take even ten minutes before I started hearing shouts of “LINDSAY BROUGHT CHOCOLATE!” from across the room. Let’s just say, they didn’t last very long.
Feeding people is most definitely my love language. It makes me so happy seeing others enjoying something I’ve baked… especially when you see them going back for thirds and fourths (I won’t name names, but you know who you are).
Both the filling and the ganache do need to set before slicing and serving. The cheesecake needs at least a few hours in the fridge, and the ganache needs at least 30 minutes at cool room temperature to set, or a quick chill in the fridge (especially if you want clean slices). You can add the ganache as soon as the cheesecake is cooled to room temperature, or you can chill the cheesecake overnight and then add the ganache the next morning.
This is one of those recipes that keeps beautifully for days and even upwards of a week or more (though doubtful it’ll last that long), making it a great make-ahead recipe for any occasion. Just keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until 20-30 minutes before serving.
You can also freeze the cut cheesecake bars, thawing in the fridge overnight prior to serving. Your ganache will likely have a bit of condensation on it after thawing, but the bars should be just as tasty as if they were freshly baked.