Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Layer Cake

So, take a homemade chocolate fudge layer cake, soak it in orange liqueur, stick a whole orange cheesecake between the two cake layers, smear a thin layer of chocolate buttercream frosting over the entire thing and them pour on a final finish of chocolate ganache glaze and what do you get?...a little slice of wonderful, I guarantee.

I saw a photo in a magazine some time ago that featured a similar idea and made a mental note to try my own version some time. This weekend when I was planning a little get together on Sunday night that memory popped back into my head when trying to come up with a decadent dessert to serve after an evening of sips n' nibbles. I toyed with several flavor combinations for this dessert, the flavor combinations are endless and we will no doubt see more of them in the future, but once again I returned to my love affair with chocolate orange.

This quite a large dessert, in fact, I guess it is two desserts in one so it is quite large and ideal for serving a large group of people. I think you could get as many as 3 dozen servings out of this 10 inch cake, so it is perfect for pot lucks, birthdays, anniversaries or other special occasions.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup soured milk
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 10 inch cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

When completely cool, poke the surface of the two layers with a fork and pour

2 ounces orange liqueur

over the surface of each of the layers. Let it soak in for several minutes.

Orange Cheesecake

Cream together:

1 ½ pounds (Three 8 oz blocks) cream cheese
1 ¼ cups sugar

Add, one at a time:
3 eggs

Then add
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream

Finely minced zest of one large orange

Pour into a 10 inch springform pan that has the bottom lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 325 degrees F for about 50 minutes to an hour or until the surface of the cake no longer looks glossy. Remove from oven and immediately run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Cool completely in the pan.

When completely cool, place one of the chocolate cake layers on to pf the cheesecake in the springform pan. Invert the pan onto a serving plate, release the spring on the pan and remove the pan and parchment paper. Top with the second layer of cake and spread a layer of Chocolate Buttercream Frosting over the entire sides and top of the cake. Let this sit in the fridge for an hour or two before adding the Chocolate Ganache Glaze.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Mix together:

4 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 cup cocoa

Mix in 1 cup softened butter

Beat in

3-4 tablespoons milk (or just enough to bring the frosting to a thick but spreadable consistency)

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

In a double boiler melt together:

2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream

Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts. You do not want this to get too hot. I remove it from the heat several times during the melting process to keep the chocolate just at melting temperature. Cool to lukewarm then quickly pour the chocolate ganache onto the center of the cooled cake and using a frosting spatula, work very quickly to spread the ganache evenly over the top of the cake, letting it spill  over the sides, so that you can spread it in a thin layer over the sides as well.

Garnish with sliced oranges or supremed orange slices.