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1
Position oven rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 350u00b0.
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2
Butter a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the outside tightly with heavy-duty foil.
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3
Have a roasting pan ready, and put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.
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4
Make the crust: pulse the chocolate wafers in a food processor until finely ground.
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5
With the motor running, slowly add the butter, and process just until blended.
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6
Press mixture onto the bottom of the pan.
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7
Bake crust for 8-10 minutes, until it is set; let cool on a wire rack.
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8
Make the filling: melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth.
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9
Whisk in the cocoa powder.
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10
Remove the bowl from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
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11
Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer, beginning on low speed and increasing to med-high speed, in a medium deep bowl until light and fluffy.
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12
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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13
Beat in the salt.
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14
Beat in the chocolate mixture just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
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15
Add in the sour cream and vanilla; beat until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
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16
Transfer the filling to the springform pan.
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17
Set the pan in the roasting pan, place it in the oven, and carefully pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
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18
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set but still slightly jiggly; do not overbake--the cheesecake will firm as it cools.
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19
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the water bath for 15 minutes.
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20
Remove the springform pan from the water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack, then remove the foil and refrigerate the cheesecake, loosely covered, until thoroughly chilled, at least 12 hours, or overnight.
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21
To serve--let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
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22
Remove the pan sides, smooth the sides of the cheesecake with a table knife, and cut into wedges.
