When I think of an ultimate chocolate cake, I not only think of dense, rich, and moist chocolate cake layers paired with the perfect frosting, I think of something bold, rich and delicious in the middle. Cake and cheesecake are a beautiful pair and adding white chocolate cheesecake in between the chocolate layers of this cake was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

This cake serves around 12 people

Ingredients:

  For the Cake:

2 2/3 Cup (346g) All Purpose Flour

1 Cup (100g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Tbs (14g) Baking Soda

½ Tsp (3g) Salt

1/8 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Cup, (226g) Softened Unsalted Butter 

3 Cups (660g) Light Brown Sugar, Packed

4 Large Room Temperature Eggs

1 Tbs (13g) Vanilla Extract

1 1/3 Cups (320g) Room Temperature Sour Cream

1 1/3 Cups (319g) Hot Water

  For the Cheesecake:

1 Cup (237mL) Cold Heavy Cream

24oz (678g) Softened Cream Cheese

2/3 Cup (115g) Granulated Sugar

½ Tsp Salt

1 Tbs (13g) Vanilla Extract

8 Oz (225g) White Chocolate, Melted and Cooled to Room Temperature

  For the Espresso Buttercream:

1 1/2 Cups (280g) Softened Unsalted Butter  

2 Tsp (8g) Vanilla Extract

¼ TSp (1g) Salt

1 Tsp (2g) Espresso Powder

3 Cups (390g) Confectioner’s Sugar

White Chocolate Chips to decorate with

Cocoa Powder for dusting on top

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F and grease 3 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line them with parchment paper and spray the parchment as well, then set aside. 

2.     Start with the cheesecake filling. Cream the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth, then add the sugar, salt, and vanilla and mix until very smooth. 

3.     Scrape the bowl down with a silicone spatula, then add the cooled melted white chocolate and mix until well combined. 

4.     In a separate bowl, beat the cold heavy cream with whisk or hand mixer until stiff peaks form and it’s the consistency of whipped cream. Fold this into the cheesecake mixture with a spatula, and once combined, cover the mix with plastic and chill in the refrigerator while you make the cake layers. 

5.     For the cake layers, in a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside. 

6.     In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together for 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl down once the eggs have been added. 

7.     Add the vanilla and sour cream then scrape the bowl down again, and alternately add the dry mixture with the hot water, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, doing it in 3 parts. Once the last bit of dry mixture is barely incorporated, stop mixing and finish with a silicone spatula. 

8.     Dive the cake batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

9.     Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning onto cooling racks, peeling off the parchment and allowing to cool completely. 

10.  Once the cake layers have cooled, take a 9-inch springform pan and line the interior with a tall sheet of parchment paper, since the cake will likely be too tall to fit inside the pan. Once lined, place one layer of cake in the bottom of the pan, then pour half of the cheesecake mixture on top of that, shaking the pan to smooth it out. Place another layer of cake on top of that, and pour the remaining cheesecake filling on there, smoothing it out. Place the final layer of cake on top and cut off any excess parchment paper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. 

11.  Once the cake has chilled, make the frosting by creaming the softened butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on a medium0high speed for about 4 minutes, until very light. 

12.  Add the espresso, vanilla and salt and mix for another minute until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar ½ cup at a time, fully mixing in each addition before adding the next. Stop adding sugar once the frosting is as sweet as you like it. 

13.  Remove the outer part of the spring form pan from the cake and gently peel off the parchment. Spread a layer of frosting around the sides and top of the cake, then if desired, press some white chocolate chips around the bottom edge of the cake. Pipe some frosting around the top and dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle more white chocolate chips on top.