chocolate cake with cheese and raspberry jam

Some people don't like cakes. Some don't care about them at all. Some again feel guilty while eating them. But there are some people who often think of cakes. They don't only make them, they spend their time just thinking about them.

I consider myself as someone who simply cannot imagine life without cakes.

Plain cake, fruit cake, layered cake, chocolate cake, flour-less cake, upside down cake, butter cake, Christmas cake, summer cake, berry cake, lemon semolina cake, banana cake, chocolate cake with cheese and raspberry jam. This last is the one.

This cake is for all of you with a sweet tooth!  

I used recipe for chocolate and zucchini cake by Lakshmi, Pure Vegetarian By Lakshmi for the base.

But not to leave it ‘naked’ I also dressed it up, in tree layer pinkish coat and covered it with extra chocolate coat 60% cocoa. It is January, after all.

chocolate and zucchini cake/base

1 medium zucchini (grated)

2/5 cup cocoa powder

150ml  sunflower oil 

50 ml olive oil

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp corn starch

2 cups plain flour

2 tbsp raspberry jam 

1 3/5 cup sugar

zest of an orange

200ml fresh orange juice

60g chopped dark chocolate (60% cocoa)

Place all the ingredients (except the chopped chocolate) into a food processor and run until smooth. Pour the batter in a bowl and add chopped chocolate. Mix everything with spatula and divide evenly between two cake tins (21cm; oiled and lined with baking paper).

Preheat the oven to 175C and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before flipping them over and cutting them.

Cut each cake once, so you end up with four layers.

filling

250g fresh soft cheese (10% milk fat)

250g cream cheese (45% milk fat)

100g sour cream (22% milk fat) 

6 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

300ml whipping cream (sweetened already)

1 tbsp raspberry jam

Whisk cheeses, sugar and vanilla paste until smooth. Separately whisk cream until soft peaks. Combine these two slowly, mixing with spatula and when everything is almost combined add raspberry jam and mix again.

 

chocolate frosting
110g unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate (chopped)
90g milk chocolate (chopped)

Melt the butter and chocolate over a low heat. Set aside to cool a bit before spreading on top of the cake. 

assembling the cake

cake layer (1)

1 tbsp raspberry jam (spread mainly around the center)

1/4 of filling

cake layer (2)

1 tbsp raspberry jam (spread mainly around the center)

1/4 (2/4) of filling

cake layer (3)

1 tbsp raspberry jam (spread mainly around the center)

1/4 (3/4) of filling

cake layer (4)

Last 1/4 (4/4) of filling spread around sides. While spreading clean knife on the top of the cake layer (4), so there is a tiny part of filling on the top too.

Leave the cake in the fridge to set a little before adding the frosting.