my quarter-century celebration, part II

{image credit: queenofthemoodswingset2}

Last time we talked about the healthy side of dinner. Now, less so. This torte does have good stuff like eggs and butter, but then there's all the sugar . . . aw shucks, who cares? It's a birthday cake!

This torte is wonderful. Very intense chocolate base with a rich cheesecake swirl. (Mom, I think you'll really like it.)

I served it in small wedges with a tart strawberry-peach coulis, which nicely offset the rich cake. And believe me, you only want to serve it in small wedges.

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Chocolate Cheesecake Torte
(slightly adapted from Cooking for Seven)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

10 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
10 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rum
1 teaspoon vanilla

cocoa powder for dusting cake

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
2) In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until very soft.* Add 1/2 cup sugar, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Set aside.
3) Break chocolate into small chunks and cut butter into pieces. Using double boiler** melt chocolate and butter together, stirring until completely smooth. Let cool slightly.
4) In second mixing bowl beat eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, rum, and vanilla for several minutes, until thick and glossy. Pour in melted chocolate and beat thoroughly.
5) Spread about two-thirds of the chocolate batter in the prepared pan. Add the cream cheese batter in several scoops, then top with the rest of the chocolate. Swirl the chocolate and cream cheese together with the tip of a knife.
6) Bake 35-40 minutes (a toothpick inserted several inches from the edge should still come out coated in soft fudge). Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 1 1/2 hours. The cake will be puffy and cracked when it comes out of the oven, and will sink as it cools.
7) To separate cake from pan, tilt pan so that it is almost perpendicular to the counter; rap pan's edge firmly on counter, rotating as you do so, in order to loosen cake completely. Once cake is free from pan's sides, invert onto large plate covered in parchment paper. Lift pan off and peel away parchment circle. Sift cocoa powder over bottom of cake, then invert onto serving plate and remove remaining parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

*You can use a stand mixer or hand beaters for this. I used a large fork and elbow grease!
**Lacking a real double boiler, I just put a glass bowl over a simmering pot of water. Works just as well.