The BEST Chocolate Cake

I have two recipes that claim to be the "BEST" chocolate cake.  This is one, its pretty darn good.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup shortening (Crisco)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Recipe from Kevin and Amanda.

Snickerdoodle Cake

 

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks butter (8 ounces by weight), softened to room temperature
1 3/4 cups fine or superfine sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to room temperature

For the Buttercream:

4 and 1/2 sticks butter (or 1 pound, 2 ounces by weight), softened to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8-9 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup of half and half, plus more if needed


Directions

To Bake the Cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in colour.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla. 

Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then 1/3 of the flour, again beating to incorporate. 

Repeat this process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are added and mixed in evenly. 

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake, rotating midway through, for about 35 minutes or until the cake tests done. 

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out onto the racks to finish cooling.

 

 

To Make the Buttercream:

Beat together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fluffy and pale in colour.

Add 6 cups of the confectioner's sugar and the vanilla extract and beat, starting on low and moving up to high, until it is fully incorporated.

Scrape down the bowl and add the half and half. Beat to incorporate again.

Add another 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar and beat, starting on low and moving up to high, until fully incorporated. Check the consistency of the buttercream. If it needs to be thicker, add the remaining confectioner's sugar. If it is too thick, add more half and half a teaspoon at a time, beating after each addition, until it reaches the consistency you like.

 

 

To Assemble and Frost the Cake:

Level out your cooled cakes and cut each into two even layers.

Place one layer on a cake plate then add a layer of buttercream, spreading to the edges and evening out as you go. Repeat with the remaining layers.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream.

If desired, garnish the top of the cake with whole cinnamon sticks.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.

Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator. 

Recipe from Foodie with Family.

 

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Egg White
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Cups Almonds
1/4 C. Water

Directions

 

1. Mix together in a large bowl sugars, cinnamon, and salt.  
2. In another bowl with a whisk, mix together the egg white and vanilla until it is frothy.  Add the almonds and coat thoroughly.  This will help the mixture stick to the almonds during the cooking process.  
3. Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with cooking spray.  I used a 4 quart.  Add the cinnamon almond mixture to the almonds and turn it to low.  Stir until the cinnamon sugar mixture is coated well on the almondsBe prepared for your house to smell amazing! 
4. You want to cook for about 3-4 hours.  Mine took about 3.  Stirring every 20 minutes.  In the very last hour, add 1/4 cup water and stir well.  This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.   
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool.  The almonds should be pretty sticky so be sure to seperate them the best that you can and let them cool!  

*Update:  There is a lot of sugar left over in this.  You can reduce the sugar to probably about 1 cup of each and only putting about an 1/8 cup of water.  I am going to be testing it out this week.  Also your almonds will be very dark and clump together.  Just spread them out and try to unclump them as best as possible and let them cool.  

 

Recipe from The Recipe Critic. 

Oreo Icebox Cake

 

Ingredients

90 Oreo cookies

3 containers of Cool Whip

small glass of milk

chocolate syrup

Directions

1. Dip 30 Oreo Cookies in milk one by one and lay flat in a 9x13 pan.
2. Spread one tub over the Oreos. Repeat this process 2 more times, finishing with a layer of Cool Whip on top.
3. If desired drizzle chocolate sauce on top, or extra crushed Oreos.
4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. 

Recipe from Cookies and Cups.

 

Snickers Popcorn

 

Ingredients

Popped Popcorn
2 cups Chocolate Chips
10 mini Snickers bars

Directions

1. Pop your popcorn by using your favorite method. Lay out popcorn on a parchment or wax paper-lined cookie sheet. 
2. Cut up Snickers mini bars into little pieces. 
3. Melt the chocolate candy melts in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Stir. 
4. Pour melted chocolate on top of popcorn and sprinkle the snickers bar pieces on top. 
5. Mix all together while chocolate is still hot! Let sit for 45 minutes! 

Recipe from U-Create

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients

½ c. butter
½ c. high-quality tub margarine (like Smart Balance)
¾ c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. flour
¾ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together butter, margarine, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop onto cookie sheet by tablespoon or with a cookie scoop. You should get 12 cookies per sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Naturally, you want to keep an eye on them because every oven is different. Makes about 4 dozen.  
5. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Recipe from Our Best Bites.

Tres Leches Cake

 

Ingredients

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 cup Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
3. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
4. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
5. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
7. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
8. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
9. Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

 

Pineapple Cake

Yummy, easy cake...

Ingredients

1 box of angel food cake mix
1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

Directions

1. Mix cake mix and pineapple together.  
2. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve with Cool Whip or Ice Cream.

Recipe from Dawn's Quilt Corner 

Lady Baltimore Frosting & Filling

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup raisins, chopped
1/4 cup rum, kirsch, or warm tea (I used mormon "friendly" tea)
2 cups sugar
4 large egg whites
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried figs

Directions

1. Place raisins and liquor or tea in a small bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and a little more than 1/2 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 234 degrees to 238 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage).
   
2. Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add salt and beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat.
   
3. With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
   
4. For the filling, transfer one-third of the frosting to a medium bowl. Drain raisins and stir into the frosting along with walnuts and figs.
   
   Recipe from Martha Stewart
   

 

Lazy Cake Cookies

 

Ingredients


1 box yellow or white cake mix
2 eggs beaten
5 T melted butter
2 C M&M's or mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Mix together, put in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 min

Recipe from I'm a Lazy Mom

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

 


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved or quartered
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 4.5-ounce dark chocolate bar (about 1 cup shavings; you can grate them in your food processor or with a cheese grater or microplane


Directions

1. Combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium until bubbles form around the edges.  Remove from heat.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly.  Very slowly, add 1/2 of the hot milk mixture, whisking the eggs constantly.  Return the pan with the remaining milk mixture to the stove top and then whisk the egg and milk mixture back to the saucepan, whisking constantly.  Be careful not to heat the eggs too hot too fast, or they’ll curdle.
3. Add the heavy cream.  Over medium-low heat and stirring constantly, continue heating the custard mixture to 160 degrees F.  It will start to thicken quickly.
4. Once ready, remove from heat and add the copped cherries immediately.  Add vanilla and almond extracts as well.  Let the custard cool (you can use an ice bath if you want to speed that process up) and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
5. Once chilled, transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.  While the ice cream is churning, grate the chocolate.  Add the chocolate shavings into the ice cream when there’s just a few minutes left.  If you wait too long and it’s already too thick, jsut stir them in by hand as you transfer your ice cream into another container.  Freeze for several hours before serving.

Recipe from Our Best Bites

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. 2% milk
1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
About 1 1/2-2 c. chopped sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, or shortbread cookies 

Directions

1. Combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat.
2. In a small mixing bowl (or really big cereal bowl), whisk egg yolks thoroughly. Very slowly, add 1/2 of the hot milk mixture, whisking the yolks constantly. Return pan with remaining milk mixture to stove top and then whisk the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. You need to be careful here to not get the eggs too hot too fast, or else they’ll curdle. So just relax and take it slow.
3. Add whipping cream. Over medium-low heat and stirring constantly, continue heating the custard mixture to 160 degrees. It will start to thicken quickly; remove from heat when your finger leaves a track on a spoon coated in the custard mixture.
4. Whisk in cinnamon and vanilla. Place the custard in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator several hours.
5. When ready to make ice cream, pour chilled mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is almost done (like maybe the machine’s struggling a little…it looks like really firm soft-serve…), add chopped cookies.
6. Remove from ice cream freezer and place in another air-tight container and freeze a couple of hours at least to firm up.
   
   
   Recipe from Our Best Bites
    

Butterfinger Blondies

 

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarse sea salt
2 cups coarsely chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 16 “Fun Size” bars)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl.
3. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
4. On low add your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined.
5. Stir in your chopped Butterfinger.
6. Spread in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until center is JUST set.
7. Remove from oven and cool completely.

 

Butterfinger Buttercream:

Ingredients

1/2 cup room temp butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 4 “Fun Size” bars)

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and shortening together until smooth.
2. Add in you powdered sugar on low speed.  Turn speed up to medium and mix until smooth
3. Stir in your chopped Butterfinger. (I sprinkled mine on top rather than stirring them in!)
4. Spread on your cooled blondies

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Chocolate Chip Scones

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces
3/4 cup chocolate chips
cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use 2 knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into an 9-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 12 wedges all the way through.  
4. Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Serve warm.

Recipe from Skinny Taste.

 

Snickerdoodle Brownies

 

Ingredients

1 box of white cake mix
4 eggs
1 stick melted butter
4 tablespoons cinnamon, divided
1 box of powdered sugar
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease one 13x9 inch pan.
2. In bowl, combine cake mix, 2 eggs, melted butter and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.  Spread in bottom of pan.
3. In a second bowl, beat with electric mixer, powdered sugar, 2 more eggs, cream cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons of cinnamon until smooth.  Spread on top of crust mixture.
4. Bake 35-40 minutes until edges are brown and center set (it will still be slightly wobbly in the middle).
5. Cool on counter 30 minutes, then refrigerate 2 hours up to 2 days.

Recipe from Mix & Match Mama.

Chocolate Skillet Cake

 

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
dash salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
3-4 tablespoons milk (as needed for consistency)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt together and set aside.
2. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, bring the butter, vegetable oil, cocoa powder, and water to a boil. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the dry ingredients well. Mix in the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Bake the skillet cake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. 
3. While the cake starts to cool, make the frosting. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Remove them from heat and add the icing sugar, nuts, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over the warm cake, spread with a spatula, and serve with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce, and whipped cream.

Recipe from Willow Bird Baking

***I don't have a cast iron skillet so I doubles the recipe and baked it in a jelly roll pan.  This tastes EXACTLY like texas sheet cake.  I've never made texas sheet cake before but it has to be a similar recipe.

 

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

 

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

For the Cheesecake Filling

10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Do not turn your oven off.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps. Flatten the clumps of dough in your palms to flatten them out a bit. Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter. Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
6. Lift the bars out by the overhang; slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

 

Ingredients

3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. reeses pieces

Instructions

1. In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey and beat again. 
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips, reeses, and banana chips by hand.
4. Drop by tablespoon onto a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie. 
5. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Cool on pan for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Store in a tightly covered container. 

 Makes about 36 cookies.

 

Recipe from Inside BruCrew Life

No Bake Cookie Bars

No Bake Oreo Bars

 

  

Ingredients

 

1 (16-ounce) package of Oreo cookies

5 cups (1 bag) of large marshmallows

4 tablespoons butter

Directions

 

1. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to hang over the edges, and set aside.
2. Place Oreo cookies in food processor (or crush in a large Ziploc bag with a rolling pin) and pulse until crumbly, but not ground.
3. Melt marshmallows and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl until puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove and pour in ground cookies. Quickly stir to combine, then transfer to baking dish. 
   Allow to set for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bars from pan by foil edges. 
   
   
   
   
   No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
    
   
   
   Ingredients
    
   One 16-ounce package of crispy chocolate chip cookies (the bars won't stay together if you use soft, chewy cookies) 
   5 cups (1 bag) of large marshmallows
   4 tablespoons of butter
   
   
   Directions
   
   
   1. Place chocolate chip cookies in food processor (or smash in a large Ziplock bag with a rolling pin) and pulse until crumbly, but not ground.
   2. Melt marshmallows and butter in a microwave-safe bowl until puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove and pour in ground cookies.
   3. Quickly stir to combine, then transfer to a 8x8-inch baking dish lined with foil.
   
   
   Allow to set for 10-15 minutes. Remove bars out of pan by the foil edges
   
   

Recipes from Bakergirl

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Layer 1: Oreo Cookie Crust

30-32 Oreo cookies (or chocolate sandwich cookies) for a high crust
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted

Crush cookies in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin or mallet. In a bowl or food processor, pour melted butter on top of the crushed cookies, and mix or pulse well. Place the oreo mixture at the bottom of a springform pan. Smooth out the mixture with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the cheesecake.

Layer 2: Tall & Creamy Cheesecake

 

For the cheesecake:
1 pound (two 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I always use kosher salt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup heavy cream (or sour cream or combination)

Put a kettle or pot of water on to boil. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Working in a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft for about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt, and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition to yield a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and stir in the heavy cream or sour cream.

Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter should fill only half of the pan. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour the the boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. (I pour half of the boiling water before putting in the pan to reduce my chances of dripping water in the cheesecake.)

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes, at which point the top will be lightly browned and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven's heat, and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour. 

After 1 hour, carefully pull the roast pan/springform pan setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster—be careful, there WILL be some hot water in the aluminum foil—remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.

When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight. Make the mousse once the cheesecake has cooled.

Layer 3: Mousse au chocolat/French Chocolate Mousse

6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add in the espresso powder. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, 1 by 1, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside. 

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. 

Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. 

Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, delicately fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse but make sure you blend in the cream well. Place the mousse on top of the cooled cheesecake while still in the springform pan. 


Cover the mousse cheesecake with foil, being careful to not let it touch the mousse. (If your springform is too small for this, just use less mousse in the cheesecake and instead eat them in ramekins while you prepare the ganache!) If making the ganache immediately, place mousse-covered cheesecake in the freezer as you make the ganache (the cheesecake should NOT be in the freezer for more than 30 minutes). If making the ganache later, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a few hours. Either way, the ganache must be cool before you can pour it on top of the cheesecake.

Top layer: Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
4.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat it up just BEFORE it boils. Place the chocolate in the cream, and remove from heat. Stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in the  vanilla extract. Allow the ganache to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring the mixture on top of the mousse cheesecake.


Release the springform pan. With an offset spatula, smooth the ganache while starting at the center of the cake and working outward. (I did a "crumb" crust by placing a thin layer of the warm, not hot, ganache on top, allowed it to cool in the freezer for 30 minutes, then I poured more on the cheesecake after releasing the springfrom pan so that it could pour down the cake.) Don't do exactly what I did, though. Just pour ganache on top once it has cooled. Keep in mind that the cold temperature of the cake will cause the ganache to firm up quickly, and you may have to pour more on top.

Recipe from Mangio da Sola.