My sister-in-law came to town a few weeks ago along with my mother and father-in-law. The trip was for a couple reasons; it was my sister-in-laws birthday weekend and they had Neil Diamond tickets.
Celebrating birthdays is the best. I asked Jill for her birthday cake request. She said she loved Chocolate Raspberry. The first thing that came to mind was raspberry cheesecake. You can never go wrong with cheesecake.
I made a Chocolate Cheesecake Cake a few years back and knew making one similar would be a hit.
Yes, it take a little bit to make but it's so good. I love chilled cake so the chilled chocolate and creamy cheesecake was delightful.
We had such a great weekend; girls shopping trip, dinner out and chit-chat at Case de Fanders. While the girls shopped, Jacob and his dad put together Jake's new work bench and tool chest. Holler to finally having an organized garage!
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cake
Cheesecake
2, 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A few drops of red food coloring if you want more of a pink layer
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups fresh Raspberries, halved (not frozen_
Chocolate Cake
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, divided (no butter milk? try this sub)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
*Make sure to use spring form pan and cake pans that are almost the same size so that when assembling the cake there is less trimming to be done.
Cheesecake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick spray. Cover the bottom with foil or parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the eggs. Then mix in the sour cream, whipping cream, jam, vanilla and food color (if using). Sprinkle in the flour and mix that in too. Gently stir in the halved raspberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set to the touch and not too jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for an hour or so. When it has cooled, wrap the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. I typically do this the night before so it's good and frozen.
Chocolate Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round metal baking pans. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then add the espresso powder, eggs, 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture. Using a stand mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the remaining buttermilk and beat on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just blended. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.
Frosting: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave for 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until melted and smooth. Whisk in the sour cream and corn syrup until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to spread. If too firm, let sit at room temperature to soften.
Put it all together: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Put a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake layer. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the foil/parchment paper to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the foil/parchment paper. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake (with a sharp knife) so that it's the same size as the cake layers.Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Add another thin layer of frosting. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake. Frost the sides and top of cake with remaining frosting.
Before serving, top with a few extra raspberries or shaved chocolate. Store cake in the refrigerator.
Source: Adapted from Recipe Girl here and here
Printer Friendly Recipe
