How marvelous does that sound? A rich chocolate cake, filled with cheesecake, and drizzled with a dark chocolate glaze. Mmmm mm.
I am usually not a big fan of cheesecakes (although I am partial to a moist hazelnut chocolate cheesecake). But when I saw this recipe on Handletheheat.com I knew I just had to give it a shot. Please check out her blog, she has so many amazing recipes. And I just love her pictures!
I saw this one a couple of weeks back, and I just couldn’t get it off my mind. The seductive call of a rich, dark and moist chocolate cake is almost impossible to ignore.
And I was not disappointed. This cake was all that it promised to be.
See how moist it is? And the layers contrast and compliment each other so well. The sweet, creamy chocolate glaze dripping down the cake, and when you bite in, the fluffy chocolate cake that is so rich and chocolaty. And then dig deeper into that vanilla cheesecake, so dense and smooth in texture. Party in your mouth!
What should you expect while making this cake: A mess. There’s a lot to be done, and several bowls and utensils to be used. So prepare for a considerable amount of cleanup. But was it worth it? Totally! Will I do it again? I am just waiting for a reason to.
I know it seems a little daunting, but let me try and break this down for you –
1. Get all the ingredients out and bring them to room temperature.
2. Prepare the cheesecake filling. Set it aside.
3. Prepare the chocolate base for the cake. Set it aside.
4. By this time, the butter would have softened considerably. Go ahead and cream it with the sugar.
5. Add eggs. One by one. I usually wouldn’t do it. But this time, make an exception and see what a difference it makes to the sugar.
6. Add the chocolate mixture base.
7. Finally, the dry ingredients.
8. Create the cake layers.
9. Bake.
10. Glaze. Enjoy!
Seems like a long drawn process, and yes, it is. But when you are expecting a large company, this is a much better dessert option to consider. Make it well ahead of time, and you are all set to wow your guests.
To create the cheesecake lining, first spoon half of the batter into the 9.5″ Bundt pan.
Then line the cheesecake filling in such a way that it does not touch the sides of the pan (inner and outer sides).
Spoon over the remaining batter over the cheese cake batter.Make sure not to displace the cheesecake layer.
Cheesecake filled Chocolate cake
- Prep Time:55m
- Cook Time:50m
- Total Time:1h 45m
- Serves: 12
- Yield: 12 slices
Ingredients
For the cheesecake
- 8 oz (220gms) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
For the cake
- 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 oz (170gms) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tbsp. instant coffee powder
- 3/4 c boiling water
- 1 c sour cream (substitute with thick yogurt)
- 1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 stick (170gms) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 c light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
For the glaze
- 1/2 c heavy cream
- 2 tsp. corn syrup
- 4 oz (110gms) semisweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
Cheesecake filling
- In a bowl, add the softened cream cheese and use an electric beater and whip it for a few minutes till smooth and soft.
- Add sugar, egg and vanilla extract to the cream cheese and beat till combined. Stir in the flour. Set aside.
Chocolate base
- In a bowl, combine the cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate and instant coffee powder. Add the boiling water and stir well. Cover and set aside till the chocolate is completely molten.
- Mix well till you get a smooth molten chocolate. Let it cool completely. Then stir in the sour cream. Set aside.
Cake batter
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater and cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- To the creamed butter mixture, add one egg at a time and whisk thoroughly till combined each time. The eggs will help the sugars dissolve.
- Stir in the prepared chocolate base.
- Fold in the flour mixture until completely combined and you end up with a smooth, velvety batter.
Assemble
- Spray the insides of a 9.5 inch bundt pan with a cooking spray. Alternatively, you can just brush with butter.
- Add half the chocolate cake batter to the pan.
- Now line the cheesecake filling in such a way that it does not touch the sides of the pan (inner and outer sides).
- Spoon over the remaining batter over the cheese cake batter.Make sure not to displace the cheesecake layer.
- Bake at 350°F/180°C for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes clean.
- Let cool over a wire rack completely before trying to turn it out.
- Make sure to cool the cake completely before glazing.
Glaze the cake
- In a small heavy bottomed pan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup till bubbles start to form at the sides. Do not let it boil!
- Pour over the chopped semi-sweet chocolate. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then stir in to combine.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake using a spoon, letting it spill over the sides.
- Let the glaze set for a few minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Leanne says
Baking cake now:) For my Birthday
Tina Dawson says
Happy Birthday Leanna! I hope you like the cake! <3
Rohini says
Hi Tina, I wish to know if I can make this in an ordinary round or rectangular cake tin as I don’t yet have a bundt pan. Thank you
Tina Dawson says
Of course, Rohini. But because of the density of the cake, just make sure the center is completely cooked before taking it out. A skewer test to the center should tell you when the cake is ready! Good luck! You’re gonna love this cake!
Rohini says
Hi again . I did try out your chocolate sauce recipe from I cook I click and I loved it though I did not thicken it enough. I am fascinated by this cheese cake filled cake recipe. Why I hesitated was that when I baked a lemon pound cake in a round tin and not a bundt as suggested it did not bake well. Also the batter was too thin. Yet I wondered if the shape had anything to do with the cake.
Do you have a die-for lemon cake recipe please? We all loved the flavour but I need a good recipe!
Thanks for your quick reply.
Tina Dawson says
Bundt cake recipes are usually dense (like an angel food cake that needs like 6 eggs) – hence the central bundt to help cook the center evenly. This cheesecake batter is quite thick (as you can see from the pictures) and should do well in a regular cake tin – just that a bundt pan usually has a larger capacity, so you’ll probably need two cake pans for this quantity. But don’t worry, it should be fine!
And a lemon cake – here’s one, it’s more of a soufflé than a cake, light airy and packs quite a lemon punch. http://www.loveisinmytummy.com/2016/02/on-screen-food-sansas-favourite-lemon.html. Just follow instructions, butter+sugar edges before pouring batter and it’ll be perfect!
Anonymous says
If you fill more than half full with batter before adding the cheesecake layer, the cheesecake will be nearer to the bottom rather than the top of the finished cake, since it will be inverted to remove from the pan.
Unknown says
Probably need to change to directions when adding the first layer of batter to the cake tin to : add more than half- so that he cheesecake layer sits up to close to the top
Tina Dawson says
I wanted the cheesecake to be right at the center so as to look visually appealing as well as to avoid overcooking the cheesecake batter within. But if you try this with the cheesecake more towards the top, please let me know. I would love to know how it looks and tastes. At least until I try it again next time 🙂