Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

You know how some people really don’t get along well with their In-Laws?  How visits with them are stressful and awkward and generally awful for many people?  Yeah, not me.  I got kinda lucky on that whole “in-law” thing.  And I’m not just writing this to kiss-up to my in-laws because I know there’s a good chance they’re reading this.  I actually truly enjoy being around my in-laws. And I’m pretty sure they like me too.  No weird, stressful stuff when we’re all together. They’re just good people.  And for that reason, I bring them cakes like this Chocolate Cheesecake Cake.

I happened to make this recipe for my Father In Law’s birthday.  He loves chocolate A LOT… which is a very good thing since this cake has a lot of chocolate inside and out.

If you follow my blog, you’ve probably seen my oh-so-yummy Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake.  This Chocolate Cheesecake Cake is made using the same concept.  A cheesecake layer is baked up first.  This one is a chocolate cheesecake (of course).  The batter is very thick (and I do mean very), but you just spread it into a cheesecake pan- the kind with removable sides- and then wrap the bottom and sides with heavy duty foil.

I usually bake my cheesecakes in a “water bath.” If you’ve ever wondered what that means, here you go. Set the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan into a larger (roasting) pan- or anything that your cheesecake pan can fit inside of- and then pour boiling hot water into the pan so that surrounds the cheesecake pan and comes up the side of the pan about 1-inch. Then bake it in its water bath.

See, not as complicated as you thought, right? The reason behind it is that you will most always get a cheesecake that doesn’t crack on the top. Bake it without a bath, and you risk cracking. But some people are wary of using this method because of the possibility of water leakage through tears in the foil.

If you don’t like to use a water bath, then you can choose this alternate method. Simply place a pan of water on a lower rack, and bake the cheesecake on a rack above the pan.  Having the water in the oven will still create enough moisture to help keep the cheesecake moist.  And honestly, if it cracks then it won’t be that big of a deal since you’re going to put it in between two layers of cake!

That baked cheesecake is popped into the freezer and allowed to freeze up nice and firm. Then it will pop out of the pan easily and you can trim the edges with a sharp knife as needed to make sure that they are the same size as your cake rounds. This chocolate cake recipe comes from Camilla Saulsbury’s Piece of Cake cookbook. It works perfectly for building the cheesecake cake. One layer of chocolate cake on the bottom, then your cheesecake layer, then the 2nd chocolate cake layer.

In case you’re wondering how I got my Chocolate Cheesecake Cake layers to bake up so even and flat… nope, I did not trim them.  I used Cake Strips.  You just soak them in water, and then velcro them around each cake pan.  Your cake layers will magically turn out nice and even and flat!

The frosting recipe I used is also from the Piece of Cake cookbook– Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting.  This is a super easy frosting recipe to make, and it spreads on so nice and smooth and thick.

It’s a pretty fudgy frosting, so I’d say it’s not great for trying to pipe decorations.  I chose to go simple.

And I shaved some chocolate on top of my Chocolate Cheesecake Cake.  Just pop your chocolate bar into the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften it up slightly, then potato-peel it down the side of the bar to make some shavings.  Nothing fancy, but it pretties it up a little.

I guess I have to say it.  This cake is for major chocolate lovers and for good reason.  Those chocolate cake layers PLUS the chocolate cheesecake layer PLUS the chocolate frosting PLUS the shavings on top.  Dig out the vanilla ice cream to accompany slices of this!

I’m pretty sure my in-laws love me even more for making this Chocolate Cheesecake Cake for them, especially since I let them keep the leftovers.