Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake with Pistachio Liqueur

Chocolate cream cheese cake is a light 16 cm cocoa sponge soaked in pistachio liqueur, layered with a soft cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar filling. The sponge bakes for 30-35 minutes at 160 °C, and the cake needs a couple of hours in the fridge. I recommend it, it turns out elegant and beautiful.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake

A 16 cm chocolate sponge cake with a cream cheese filling and a pistachio liqueur soak.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Chilling 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the sponge (16 cm)

• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp sugar heaped
• 3 tbsp flour heaped
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder heaped

For the filling

• 250 g cream cheese
• 75 g butter
• 75 g powdered sugar

For soaking and decoration

• 8 tbsp pistachio liqueur
• 20 g heat-resistant chocolate chips
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 5 molded chocolates
• pistachios
• pomegranate

Method

 

Sponge

1. Separate the whites from the yolks. Whip the whites until they increase in volume and clump, gradually adding the sugar, and whip to stiff peaks.
2. Add the yolks and keep whipping.
3. Turn off the mixer, sift in the flour and cocoa, gently fold in and pour the batter into the pan.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes in an oven preheated to 160 °C, checking doneness with a toothpick. Let the finished sponge cool and remove from the pan.

Filling

1. Put all the room-temperature ingredients into a bowl and whip with a mixer for a couple of minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Assembly

1. Cut the sponge into 2 layers and soak them well with the liqueur.
2. Place one layer in a cake ring, spread most of the filling over it and sprinkle with heat-resistant chocolate chips.
3. Cover with the second layer and spread the remaining filling on top.
4. Chill the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours, then remove and decorate with mint, pistachios, chocolates and pomegranate seeds.
   

Notes

An adjustable cake ring and acetate collar help you get neat, even sides.

Tips

• For the filling, all the ingredients need to be at the same room temperature - take them out of the fridge ahead of time.
• An adjustable cake ring and acetate cake collar make assembly much easier.
• Check the sponge is done with a toothpick.
• Fresh mint, pistachios, pomegranate seeds and molded chocolates all work well for decoration.