Cheesecake Ripple Chocolate Cake is a serious celebration cake made for sharing! Chocolate and cheesecake come together in a decadent four-layer confection, with a cream cheese ripple that bakes right inside the chocolate cake layers. Bookmark it for holidays and special occasions!
I’m always looking for something new to serve during the big fall and winter holidays. It’s a time when everyone gathers together to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry. Emphasis on the Eat, with my clan. So my dream holiday dessert has to feel a little more special than the ones I bake throughout the year. (I still love you Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cake!).
This Cheesecake Ripple Chocolate Cake is this year’s winner. It originates from an old Southern Living cookbook recipe. I gave it a makeover with my preferred ingredients (real butter instead of shortening) and built it into the towering four layer cake you see here. If you’re like me, I cook big at Thanksgiving with intentional leftovers in mind. There’s no question that guests will get to take home slices of this cake.
Make the Chocolate Cake Batter
This is not a difficult cake to make, and it comes together more quickly than you might expect. However, it is a BIG cake. I strongly recommend using a stand mixer, one with at least a 5 quart capacity bowl. This recipe makes a large amount of cake batter to divide between four 9-inch cake pans.
The cake batter starts with a classic creaming method. Beat the softened butter until creamy, and then gradually add in the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Next add the eggs, then vanilla. Sound familiar? I bet you know what’s next. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with buttermilk. This is a textbook example of a creamed butter cake.
Divide the chocolate batter evenly among four prepared 9-inch cake pans. The pans will already look generously filled, but there’s still enough room for the next, best part.
Add the Cheesecake Ripple
For the cheesecake ripple, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then mix in the cornstarch, 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk (yes, two!), eggs, and vanilla extract.
Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly among the pans over the chocolate cake batter. Swirl the two batters together with a butter knife or spoon. Don’t over-do the swirling here. Just a few broad strokes will create a cream cheese ripple.
Cool the Chocolate Cheesecake Cake Layers
The cheesecake ripple makes these layers especially tender, so let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks. Let all four layers cool completely before assembling and frosting the cake. This will take longer than usual – perhaps up to 2 hours – because the dense cheesecake holds a lot of heat.
Make the Cocoa Buttercream and Frost the Cake
This is a big cake, so of course, it needs a big batch of frosting. I recommend a stand mixer for this portion of the cake as well.
The cocoa buttercream is very straightforward: butter, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and heavy whipping cream. It’s deeply chocolaty without adding complicated ingredients or steps. I used the whip attachment to mix the buttercream initially, but I switched to the paddle attachment to knock out some of the air bubbles for a smooth finish. This is an optional step, but it will make for smoother swirls of frosting.
Make Ahead Tips for Cheesecake Ripple Chocolate Cake
A cake that feeds a crowd is especially useful during the holidays, and this is one that you can make ahead! Win/win!
- Bake the cake layers a day ahead. Once completely cool, wrap them well in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you’re ready to assemble the cake. You can also double wrap the cake layers, place in freezer bags, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
- The fully assembled cake can be covered and refrigerated until ready to serve it. Because both the cheesecake ripple and buttercream become firmer when cold, you must let this cake come to room temperature before serving. The chocolate cake and buttercream become softer, and all those chocolate-and-cheesecake flavors come through much stronger.
This Cheesecake Ripple Chocolate Cake is exactly the kind of dessert I want on the table for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the big family gatherings in between. Maybe that seems too early to think about right now, but time’s a ticking! Those holidays will be here before you know it.
This cake is deeply chocolaty, with that perfect cheesecake foil. It’s rich but unfussy, and generous enough to serve at dinner and send guests home with leftovers. Even better, you can make it ahead. Which is always a gift to the host, considering the rest of the menu needs your full attention.
One final heads-up: although this cake is simple to put together, it is BIG. You’ll need a stand mixer with at least a 5-quart bowl to comfortably handle both the cake batter and the frosting. The hardest part may actually be washing all the bowls, beaters, spatulas, and cake pans afterward. But after that first slice, you’ll know it’s 100% worth it.
Related recipe: Tuxedo Bar Cake
Cheesecake Ripple Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake
- Nonstick cooking spray for the pans
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream cheese ripple
- 16 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 28 oz. sweetened condensed milk 2 (14 oz. cans)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Cocoa buttercream
- 1 1/3 cups unsalted butter softened
- 10 cups powdered sugar
- 2 2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons chocolate curls or shavings optional
Chocolate cake
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Coat four 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; line the bottoms of the pans with parchment rounds. Lightly spray the paper with cooking spray.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine; set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. Gradually add in the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
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Add the dry mixture to the creamed butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low speed after each addition until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
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Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Set aside.
Cheesecake ripple
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In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until combined. Add the cornstarch and mix again to incorporate.
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Add 1 (14 oz.) can of the sweetened condensed milk to the mixture and beat until combined. When fully blended, add the second can (14 oz.) of sweetened condensed milk and mix to incorporate.
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Add the eggs and the vanilla extract to the mixture; mix until well combined.
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Divide the cheesecake batter evenly between the pans of chocolate cake batter. Swirl the batters together with a spoon or butter knife using just a few broad strokes; do not over-swirl.
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Bake the cakes for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks. Peel away the parchment rounds and let cool completely.
Cocoa buttercream
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In your largest mixing bowl, combine the 10 cups confectioners’ sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder.
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
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Add the confectioners’ sugar mixture to the butter alternately with the whipping cream. Mix on low speed at first after each addition, until just incorporated, then raise the speed after each addition to incorporate completely. Begin and end with the powdered sugar mixture.
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Beat until thick and spreadable. For a smoother finish, switch to the paddle attachment and mix briefly on low speed to remove excess air bubbles
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Place one cooled cake layer on a serving platter or cake stand. Top with about 1 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Repeat with the second and third cake layers, using about 1 cup of frosting between each layer. Top with the fourth cake layer.
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Spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top of the cake, applying thick swirls of frosting using an offset spatula. Spoon the chocolate curls or shavings around the top edge of the cake, if using.
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Store cake covered in the refrigerator. Serve slices at room temperature for best flavor and texture.
Make ahead: The cake layers can be baked 1 day in advance. Once completely cool, wrap each layer well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble. For longer storage, double-wrap the cooled layers, place them in freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before assembling.
The fully assembled cake can also be covered and refrigerated ahead of serving. For the best flavor and texture, let the cake or individual slices stand at room temperature before serving so the chocolate cake and buttercream can soften.
