Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like straight up chocolate, with a hint of tangy cheesecake goodness!
Texture: Oh man. Rich and moist yet light and fluffy, with a luscious cheesecake filling and crazy fudgy chocolate glaze.
Ease: Easy but messy.
Appearance: Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.
Pros: Sassy twist on a classic dessert.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Oh yeah.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I have kind of an obsession with desserts that contain a secret surprise filling. Between my recent Fudge Filled Cookies and this Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake, I am apparently on a mission to delight the pants off our taste buds.
I remember being a kid and my parents ordering the occasional fast food “family meal” that always seemed to come with a bundt cake as a dessert. And you know what? Those cakes were gross. SO insanely dry, bland, and boring. They weren’t even worth eating, unless you’re a kid and just want sugar in any form. I was turned off of bundt cakes for years until I started making my own.
Here are Handle the Heat bundt cakes are actually worth indulging in. Chocolate cakes actually taste like chocolate. Plus they’re RICH as can be, I want you to almost think you’re eating a brownie. But still light and fluffy. A culinary contradiction. Not to mention I don’t do boring simple cakes. I go over the top, like stuffing a cake with cream cheese and drenching it in the thickest, fudgiest glaze possible. Even using ingredients like sour cream and a hint of espresso powder to really amp up the flavor. That’s my kind of cake, and I hope it’s yours too.
Holly on Instagram made this recipe and says, “The deep chocolate flavor pairs perfectly with the tangy cream cheese.” Check out her gorgeous photo:
Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 3/4 cups (7.87 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
For the filling:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and flour until well combined. Set aside.
For the cake:
- Combine the cocoa, chocolate, and espresso powder in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water into the bowl and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Whisk the chocolate mixture until it is smooth. Let cool to room temperature. When it has cooled, whisk in the sour cream.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. On low speed gradually add the flour mixture and the melted chocolate mixture alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour, until the batter is smooth.
- Pour a little more than half the batter into the prepared pan. Pour the cheesecake filling into the center of the batter, not allowing it to touch the edges of the pan. Pour the remaining batter of the filling.
- Bake the cake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out and let cool completely.
For the glaze:
- In a small saucepan heat the cream and corn syrup over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking until smooth. Let cool slightly until thickened. Drizzle over the cake. Let the glaze set at room temperature, about 10 minutes, before serving.
The Cheesecake Filling looks good but I feel I would rather whip in some homemade Creme Fraiche with some fluffy white Marshmallow Fluff, powdered sugar and be a Whoopie Pie Cake.
u defiantly need a 12 cup or bigger if there is of a bundt pan fore this cake mine spilled all over had to place a foil
under and cooked it for 1 1/2 hr i guess b/c of the bundt pan and it spilled do not know .. ill come back after and let u know how i like it when i taste it
What size bundt pan? 10 cup or 12 cup?
Thank you for the recipe, it was really yummy, but when i try to loose it from the pan after i inverted it, the bundt cake cracked horizontally, revealing the cheesecake. And i noticed the cake kind of hollow inside. Should i tap it in the counter before putting it in the oven? Or is it maybe because i put the cheesecake filling in fridge before? Because when its cooled off it is easier to put them in the middle of the cake. Does this happen to anyone else? Sorry for my bad english.
Hi Amelia! Yep, sounds like the cheesecake batter was too cold. Keep it at room temperature next time to avoid getting cracks and hollowness.
This looked so good, I couldn’t wait to try the recipe. Please tell me what I did wrong. I followed the recipe but what a flop. The cake baked over and at 50 minutes it was burnt on the outside edges, done from the inside top edge to the middle but when I tested the inside the toothpick came out wet. I gave it some extra time for the center to get done but wasn’t successful. My oven is very reliable and operates at the correct temperature, I had the cake on the center rack. After the 10 minute cool in the pan the bottom part came out and the top was left in the pan. I’d love to try again but very hesitant.
absolutely delicious! however, the cheesecake portion fell to the the bottom of the pan, so rather than having the cheescake in the middle, it ended up on the top. What went wrong?
Can’t wait to try. By the way, your ultimate brownies are out of the this world. My 7 year old granddaughter calls them “my” famous brownies. So THANKS!
I know this is a bit late, but do you keep this cake on the counter or in the fridge?
Hi Tessa… I made this yesterday after a long search for something special for someone special 🙂 … It turned out really pretty on the outside… hopefully it will be just as beautiful as yours on the inside 🙂 … My cheesecake filling didn’t look as thick as yours but hopefully it had set as nice as yours through the baking process. Thanks for the fabulous inspiration 🙂 … Have a wonderful holiday season!!!
Can I use a store bought cake mix? I know I know…. But I have some that need used up!
I’ve never tried that for this particular recipe but I don’t see why not!
Hi Tessa
Does this need to be set like a regular cheesecake (left in the fridge overnight)?
Also, will it ok to be made ahead of time? I wonder if the cake will dry out.
thanks
Nope! And should be fine ahead of time 🙂
Hi,
I love all of your recipes .. I tried making this cake the other day and I think the batter was way too much for my bundt pan.. I think mine’s a 10 cup bundt pan.. It kinda overflowed .. Is there any way I can cut the recipe to fit my pan? I’m dying to make this cake 🙂