Decadent chocolate cake...

[Chocolate Rose]

I needed a really awesome, show-stopper kind of chocolate cake for a friend's 40th birthday. This is the one I chose and it was fabulous! It was beautiful as a whole cake and beautiful sliced. But, it was difficult to keep the slices together. Next time I will use a bit more frosting in the hopes of it holding together. It tasted wonderful. I will definitely be making this again. I'm a little embarrassed about the recipe as it is really a put-it-together rather than make-it-from-scratch kind of recipe. But, if you were really ambitious and had more time than I do right now, you could make all the components from scratch. My notes are at the end.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cheesecake-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cakes & Frostings

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Unsweetened cocoa
1 package devil’s food cake mix -- (18.25 oz.)
1 package chocolate instant pudding mix -- (3.4 oz.)
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cups milk
1 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate extract (optional)
1 tsp. almond extract
3 milk chocolate bars -- (1.55 oz.) chopped (tested with Hersheys)
3 cans homestyle cream cheese frosting -- (16 oz.)
3 boxes frozen cheesecake bites -- (7.75 oz.) coarsely chopped (tested with Sara Lee)
1 jar dulce de leche caramel sauce (tested with Smuckers) -- (12 oz.)
Double chocolate rolled wafer cookies -- coarsely broken (tested with Pirouline)
Chocolate fudge rolled wafer cookies -- coarsely broken (tested with Pepperidge Farm)

Grease 2 (9”) round cake pans, and dust with cocoa. Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; then beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Fold in chopped milk chocolate bars. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (This step enables you to split cake layers with ease.) Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake plate. Spread with ½ cup cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with one-fourth of chopped cheesecake bites. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 layers, frosting, and cheesecake bites, omitting cheesecake bites on top of last layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Drizzle desired amount of caramel sauce over cake, letting it drip down sides. Chill until ready to serve. Decorate cake with rolled wafer cookies and remaining chopped cheesecake bites. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 12 servings

Source:
"Christmas with Southern Living 2007"
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NOTES : I used three different flavors of cheesecake bites - caramel, chocolate, and cookies & cream - one kind on each layer. I also found devil's food pudding mix instead of the chocolate. I subbed Dove chocolate ice cream topping for the caramel.