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.
Would it work to put the cheesecake portion in the pan first? I think it would look pretty on the top of the cake….
You might want to check you wording on how to bake this kind of cake. For a bunt pan you need to pour a 1/3 of the cake batter into said pan, then add your cheesecake filling, then top with remainder cake batter. This will make the cheesecake at the top of your cake when it’s all finished verses at the bottom. These pictures depicting this cake are deceiving if you decide to follow the actual baking instructions provided for this cake.
Absolutely the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I didn’t have cocoa powder so I used an entire bag of semisweet chocolate instead, worked out amazingly.
What now its glazed 🙁
i made this ,,and baked it 50 min and it seems like its not done..cheesecake part yes ,,cake part after isnt then the top is–is it suppose to be like that
Hi Tessa, Thank you for this recipe. I just got the items need to make it and was wondering how to make the cheesecake filling Khalua flavored? Can I use straight Khalua and is so how much in order not to thin the filling too much? How about mocha? Add melted chips and espresso powder? About how much? Thanks again!
I wish more of the comments asking questions were answered so I had more piece of mind before trying this recipe! It looks amazing and I would really like to impress a group of friends and can’t afford a flop!
1. Why several people may have had runnier cheesecake filling/ why the filling dropped
2. What size bundt pan to use
3. If some ingredients should be colder or warmer, etc.
Hi Kait, this recipe really isn’t very complicated! This is the exact bundt pan I used: http://amzn.to/2cVfRR5
All the ingredients that need to be at room temperature are specified in the recipe. I’m not entirely sure why some people had a “runny” filling… but the cheesecake will drop slightly (as it is in the photos).
This cake turned out perfectly! It’s a great recipe and the cake is moist, delicious and eye catching.
Thank you!
I like to bake. I try very hard to see if I can bake like you.
Instead of using only cream cheese, I mixed the cream cheese with dulce de leche…Heaven
Ohhhh yummy!!
Made this cake today and it is absolutely delicious. I did not have expresso so I put 2 tbsps. hazelnut instant coffee. Please if you are making this spray and FLOUR your pan. Mine stuck on and left half in the pan. I should have known better.
It would be super helpful to know what size bundt pan you used. Pan size is essential for any cake recipe.
This is a recipe I’d love to make but I don’t want to waste ingredients if my pan is too small.
Thanks