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.
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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.
More help on espresso powder please. Is it the same as ground? I’ve checked with others and several places with no luck. I read through comments that you can omit, but I also appreciate learning no things. I don’t drink coffee. I found an espresso dark ground. Have no idea if that is comparable or not. Thank you.
Here are the two kinds that I usually use: http://amzn.to/28QjeW3 OR http://amzn.to/28Qjgx9 so you can see how they’re labeled. I often find them at Super Target or kitchen stores like Sur la Table or Williams-Sonoma.
Thank you very much. I absolutely love baking. watch and study all day delicious cake for my children. Are you helping me very happy. you are very talented and beautiful again. It’s great to see what you’ve given recipes and secrets. You’re very cute. I love you. Wish you happiness and beautiful young..
ThuVo
Try adding 6 oz. of chocolate chips to the cheesecake filling!! This was my Hubby’s favorite.
I made this the last week ,the cake was yummy but the cheesecake portion was not thick enough i should double the quantity next time!
Have just made this and looks and smells amazing. Bit worried about the cheesecake layer as definatley not as thick as yours. Took longer to bake too by about 10 mins. Love the recipes.
The cake tastes great…..but it stuck to the bundt pan……what a mess…..I squished it together and am going to ice it tomorrow morning…..I did everything you said….but the darn thing stuck…..lol…..I guess I will double the recipe for the icing and try to hide the mess! I will try it again….any suggestions on how to keep it from sticking? Thanks!
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Oh no!! Did you spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray?
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Hi,
It’s a very lovely cake.
Can I use same recipie for simple 9″ cake with cream cheese frosting from outside rather than filling it inside?
Can I use a regular Devils chocolate cake mix ? For this recipe?
Not sure, I haven’t tried. But I can’t think of any reason it wouldn’t work.
OMG….probably one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve EVER had! Was a bit of work but, well worth it 🙂
I used a tube pan since I didn’t have a Bundt pan, and cooked it a little longer (15 mins) but it is absolutely delicious!!
Yay, Chantelle! Thanks so much!
I made this cake for my daughter’s graduation party the dog( St Bernard )got upstairs and ate both cakes one plate was on the table and the other one was on the stairs. ,I,m sure she would have sard it was very good . we ran and bought some cookies.
I can laugh now lol.
Haha! Oh no!! Darn dogs 😉
Holy crap this looks amazing! I can’t wait to test it out! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you! Hope you try it soon 🙂
How would one adjust cook time to make a larger, rectangular cake?
I’m not sure, I’ve never given it a try. Let us know how it works out if you do 🙂