This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is the best!!! Incredibly moist and topped with that luscious white chocolate cream cheese frosting, it can hardly get any better!

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH WHITE FROSTING

chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting ready to be served

No kidding! This is one of the best chocolate cakes ever! EVER!

A dense, rich, almost brownie-like cake, moist and so delicious. And made even better by the addition of that amazing white chocolate cream cheese frosting. This is one of those cakes that you just have to eat at least once in your life.

But probably, after you've baked this chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting once, you will continue baking it over and over again. It is soooooooooooo goooooooooooood! And so easy to make despite the flamboyant appearance.

And this is coming from a person who is generally not into chocolate. I almost never eat any chocolate, but I do happen to love a few chocolate cakes, like the chocolate gateau or the double chocolate cheesecake.

And this chocolate cake with white frosting is just unbelievable!

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE CAKE

Chocolate:

This is a chocolate cake made with unsweetened or pure cocoa powder. Use the best quality you can afford, it will make a difference.
For the frosting you will need white chocolate. I always buy bars of white chocolate, which I chop myself, white chocolate chips are not easily available around here.
However, you can use good quality white chocolate chips instead.

Butter:

Use unsalted butter.
You will need butter for the chocolate cake, for the glaze and for the topping.
The butter for the cake and for the glaze can be used directly from the fridge, but please remember to take the butter needed for the topping out of the refrigerator in time, it needs to be soft before you mix it into the cream cheese.

Cream cheese:

Regular, full-fat cream cheese, Philadelphia style.
It should be at room temperature when you start stirring it.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING?

Although this is such an impressive looking cake, making it is very easy.
There are three different stages in making this cake, but they are all very easy.
You can make the cake one day in advance, glaze it while still warm and leave to cool completely in the springform until the next day.
The white chocolate cream cheese frosting can be made one day (or 2-3 days) in advance as well. Keep it in an airtight container and refrigerated until you need it.
Remove it from the fridge about half an hour before you are ready to use it, mix it shortly with a hand held mixer before spreading it on the cake. This will help it become fluffy again.

How to prepare the springform?

You will need a springform of about 23-24 cm/ 9-10 inches.
Butter it well all over.
Sprinkle about 1 heaped tablespoon flour in the springform.
Turn and shake the springform to coat it all over with the flour.
Turn the springform over the sink and pat it gently on the bottom to help remove the excess flour.

How to make the chocolate cake?

Start with the chocolate cake as it will need a while to cool.
Place the butter, cocoa and water in a small saucepan and stir on low heat until it comes to a boil and the butter is melted. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Mix together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
Add the eggs, sour cream and cocoa mixture. Stir well.
Pour the mixture into the prepared springform and bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean but with a few crumbs still attached to it.
Let the cake cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.
Poke it all over with a toothpick or skewer, the glaze will penetrate the cake through these holes making the chocolate cake incredibly moist and delicious.

How to make the glaze?

Use the same saucepan you used for melting the butter for the cake.
Place the butter, cocoa, milk and icing sugar into the saucepan.
Bring to a boil while stirring all the time.
Slowly and carefully, pour the glaze all over the chocolate cake in the tin.
Let the cake cool completely in the springform.

How to make the white chocolate cream cheese frosting?

Chop the white chocolate finely. Or use white chocolate chips instead.
Melt the chocolate a bain-marie.

How to melt chocolate a bain-marie?

Place the chocolate in a waterproof bowl.
Pour some water in a saucepan.
Place the bowl with the white chocolate on top, but make sure that the bowl doesn't touch the water. Melt the chocolate slowly on barely simmering water, stirring often.
Make sure that the water underneath the bowl of chocolate is barely simmering and never comes to a boil. If the water gets too hot, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue stirring the chocolate off the heat until melted.
Set the melted chocolate aside while you prepare the rest.

Place the cream cheese in a bowl and mix it shortly to make it softer.
Add the soft butter and mix well until the mixtures turns pale and creamy. Slowly, start adding the melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Once you have incorporated all the chocolate, mix well until fluffy. You can use it immediately or let it set in the fridge for a while.

step by step cream cheese white chocolate frosting

TIPS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH WHITE FROSTING

The best tip I can always give you is to use a kitchen scale when baking, cup measuring is too imprecise.
Make sure that the butter used for the topping is soft and the cream cheese has room temperature.
Use very good quality unsweetened cocoa powder and a white chocolate brand you really enjoy eating.
It is preferable to make the chocolate cake and glaze it one day in advance or earlier in the morning, it needs quite a while to cool completely.
To make things less stressy, you can also make the white chocolate cream cheese frosting in advance. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, let it come to room temperature before using and mix it shortly to make it fluffy again before spreading it on the cake.

OTHER TOPPINGS?

This white chocolate cream cheese topping is the best, but you could also top the chocolate cake with sweetened whipped cream or top it with thickened fruit (sour or sweet cherries, for instance) or berry (blueberries, for instance) compote.
For a pure dark chocolate cake, cover the cake with ganache.
Or the simplest topping would be some icing sugar on top. Still a super delicious chocolate cake!

MORE CHOCOLATE CAKES?

Chocolate Gateau – there are very few cakes that I’ve baked more often than this chocolate cake, it is easy to make and everybody just loves it.

Chocolate Mousse Cake – three rich layers of chocolate mousse: milk, white and dark chocolate.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake – zucchini cakes are always a treat. Try this decadent chocolate zucchini cake with mirror glaze.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake – a super easy to make chocolate and hazelnut cake topped with chocolate ganache.

Lamington Cake – the Australian classic chocolate cake squares, iced with chocolate and dipped in coconut flakes, this is one of the most popular posts on the blog.

Dobos Torte – one of the most amazing cakes you can imagine!

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting