Death By Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

Appropriately named, this cake is outrageously decadent!  Not for the faint of heart...you have to be a hard core chocolate lover for this one!  Surprisingly easy to make but takes awhile to get it all put together.  The chocolate cake was extremely dense and rich, if I were to make this again I would use another chocolate cake recipe.  I loved the cheesecake layer and the frosting was delish!  This cake was my Mom's birthday cake.  She is 86 today! 

Death by Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

Adapted from Hot Polka Dot

INGREDIENTS

500 grams Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 vanilla bean

6 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

4 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line a 9 inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom and a ring around the edge. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil and place it in a shallow baking pan full of water that reaches halfway up the pan.

Split 1 vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and vanilla seeds until combined well. Add the cooled white chocolate and mix well. Blend in the 2 eggs one at a time until just barely blended.

Pour it into the prepared pan and bake it for 30 to 45 minutes until the center is almost set but still a little jiggly. Turn the over off and let the cheesecake cool inside for an hour. Bring it out and let it cool to room temperature with an inverted plate on top. Let it set in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Next make the chocolate cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and set them aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until it's light and fluffy. Split 1 vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the edge of your knife. Blend in the vanilla then the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated.

Whisk together the 2 1/2 cups flour, cocoa powder baking powder and salt then add it in thirds alternating between the milk and oil. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake them for 30 - 40 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let them sit until they're cool enough to touch and flip them out on cooling racks to cool completely. Level off the cooled cake layers with a cake leveler or a long serrated knife.

While the cake cools make the sour cream chocolate frosting. 

To assemble the cake, place one layer of chocolate cake on you cake plate. Follow that with a generous layer of chocolate frosting. Place the set cheesecake on top then another layer of frosting and, finally, the other layer of chocolate cake. Ice the entire cake with the rest of the frosting. Enjoy!

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Adapted from Deb Perelman's Best Birthday Cake at Smitten Kitchen, original recipe from The Dessert Bible 

Yield: 5 cups of frosting, enough to frost and fill a two layer 9-inch cake/three layer 8-inch cake 

15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons instant espresso (optional, but can be used to pick up the flavor of average chocolate)

2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature

1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate and espresso powder, if using, in the top of a double-boiler or in a heatproof bowl over just simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. You can also melt the chocolate in a microwave for 30 seconds, stirring well, then heating in 15 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid. Whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. 

Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness and if needed, add additional corn syrup in one tablespoon increments until the desired level of sweetness is achieved. Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency, for about 20-30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out on the counter until it softens again before frosting. 

Happy Birthday Mom!