Sometimes you just need a mountain of chocolate! This Chocolate Explosion has rich chocolate mousse piled high on an Oreo crust, filled with chunks of vanilla cheesecake, Oreos, nuts, and toffee bits. It’s a truly indulgent dessert and an absolute showstopper at any gathering.
For Serious Chocolate Lovers Only
(*avoids eye contact*)
Yeah….. so… I like chocolate.
I feel like this is an embarrassing amount of chocolate, but even so, I’m not sorry about it. This is one of those things you make on a special occasion.
Correction: this is one of those things you should only make on a special occasion, but you’re bound to be finding a lot more “special occasions” with this in your back pocket.
For my American friends who don’t know, Boston Pizza’s Chocolate Explosion is a rich chocolate mousse piled high on a cookie crust, filled with chunks of vanilla cheesecake, Oreos, pecans, and toffee bits. It’s incredibly decadent, and this homemade version tastes just like the real thing.
I didn’t want this recipe to be too complicated, so I skipped the brownie or baked chocolate crust. It felt like too much work for a dessert that already has a few steps. Instead, I went with a simple Oreo cookie crust. It’s super easy, tastes great, and holds its shape perfectly!
Reader Rating
“I made this for my hubby’s birthday cake, and it was perfect! I made it over the span of the weekend and it barely survived the night lol.” – Amber
Chocolate Explosion Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Full-fat or light cream cheese will work. Make sure it’s at room temperature!
- Sugar: You’ll need both granulated and powdered (icing) sugar for this recipe.
- Butter: Use melted, unsalted butter.
- Oreos: We’re putting Oreos in everything! I used regular Oreos for the crust, filling, and topping, but feel free to go wild with your favorite flavor.
- Chocolate: I recommend semi-sweet chocolate for easy melting.
- Gelatin: One packet of unflavored gelatin powder is all you need.
- Toasted almonds: Slivered or roughly chopped for a nice crunch!
- Toffee bits: Store-bought toffee bits work perfect.
Make this a No-Bake Dessert!
If you want to make this even easier, simply skip baking the crust (I baked mine because I like how it holds up nicely) and use a plain, store-bought vanilla cheesecake. No one will know the difference. Pinky promise!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! This dessert is perfect for making ahead. The easiest way is to spread the work over 2-3 days. For example, you can make the easy cheesecake and chocolate ganache on the first day, since they both need to be chilled completely. On the second day, prepare the crust and mousse, assemble the dessert, and let it chill for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Yes, if you don’t have a 9″ springform pan, a regular 9″ pan or even a pie plate will work just fine.
The most common reason is that the mixture wasn’t cold enough. It needs to be completely chilled in the refrigerator before you can whip it into soft peaks. Be patient, as this can take a couple of hours.
How to Store Your Chocolate Explosion
To keep your Chocolate Explosion fresh, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Want to save it for later? Pop it in the freezer! Just wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. It’ll stay good for up to 2 months.
Chocolate Explosion (Boston Pizza Copycat)
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used light), 2 packages
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Eggs
Crust
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 300 gram package Oreos, (about 22 cookies)
Mousse
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 300 g finely chopped chocolate, just over 10 oz
- 2 packages unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup cold water
- ⅓ cup powdered icing sugar
- 6 Oreos, crushed
Garnish
- Toasted almonds, slivered
- Toffee bits
- Oreos, crused
Instructions
Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8" pan with tin foil or parchment paper.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth.
- Spread into prepared pan and bake for 23-25 minutes, until top is just set (may still have a slight jiggle to it, but will look dry on top). Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating until cold.
Crust
- In a food processor, combine butter and 300g Oreo cookies and process until smooth.
- Press firmly into the bottom and 1" up the sides of a 9" Springform pan (or another 9" pan – a pie plate would work!). Set aside (refrigerate if overnight).
Mousse
- In a large bowl, melt together cream and chocolate in a microwave (start with 1 minute on high, then do 30 second intervals until melted, stirring each time). Place in the refrigerator until completely chilled (the cream won't whip unless it is very cold! Be patient).
- In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let sit 1 minute. Microwave on high for 15-20 seconds and whisk until gelatin dissolves. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Whip cream until soft peaks form, add in the sugar and gelatin gradually, whipping until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in crushed Oreos and chopped cheesecake and spread into crust. Garnish with almonds, toffee bits, and Oreos as desired. Refrigerate at least 5-6 hours or overnight, until chilled and totally set.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim says
Very nice!
Can you believe I dont find it chocolatey enough lol. Gonna make a syrup to serve it with like they do
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, no judgement here!
Amber says
I made this for my hubby’s birthday cake and it was perfect! I made it over the span of the weekend and it barely survived the night lol
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad it turned out well!
Sue says
For the crust do you use the whole cookie or remove the icing first?
Ashley Fehr says
The whole cookie
Ivonne da Silva says
My whipped cream separated.
What a waste of good chocolate and whipped cream🥲
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m so sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Ivonne. There are two reasons whipped cream normally separates, one by over whipping or two, the amount of fat in the cream. I’d start there to troubleshoot it. Hope this helps!
Mikayla says
Can you use anything to replace the eggs?
Kay says
Do you have a different option for gelatin for vegetarians that still eat eggs and dairy?
Kara says
Is it possible to use oreo crumbs rather than oreo cookies? If so, how many cups of crumbs?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kara! You probably could, but I haven’t tested it that way and don’t know the amount of crumbs in cups. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!