Confusion Cake
Sometimes it takes a couple of tries (or more) to get a dessert right. Confusion Cake is the perfect example of this.
I love pound cake and I also love cheesecake, so it wasn’t a big stretch to decide to combine these two into one cake. The idea was great but the execution of the first round became a major challenge.
I baked the cake in a well-greased bundt pan. I thought that would work but I was wrong. The cake stuck to the bottom of the pan, which turns out to be the top, so I was gluing the pieces back to the cake.
I’m not one to throw out a perfectly good cake, even if it looks bad and I decided to take it to a meeting at Samuel’s school. I mean, really, how could I pass up the opportunity to get feedback from so many people at one time? Unfortunately, the only knife available for cutting the cake was plastic…making it quite difficult to say the least.
I was chairing the meeting and was more focused on what was being discussed about school related items than my cake. At the end of the meeting I received a note that included the following comments from some of those who tried the cake:
“I can’t stop!”
“Creamy”
“Great”
“Beyond delicious. Love that it is not too sweet and is dense and rich. I would make it in bars instead of a bundt – and add some crunch – maybe top like nuts and/or choc chips.”
“Filling is so yummy. I could eat it as a meal. Forget the main entrée – this IS the meal.”
I loved all the feedback and I am so grateful for my friends who helped me figure out my next step.
I went home and assembled another batch. This time I baked it in a parchment lined baking pan. After the cake refrigerated for several hours, I was able to simply lift the parchment paper out of the pan. It peeled back easily and then I chose to trim the sides of the cake. I, also, decided to top the cake with a chocolate ganache. Maybe next time I will add some crunch, too.
I took the revised cake squares to my friend’s home for Break Fast after Yom Kippur. Everyone loved them and worked together to come up with the name, Confusion Cake. I thought it was great, because the cake could not decide if it was a pound cake or a cheesecake.
I love it when friends work together!
| Confusion Cake | Print |
- Pound cake:
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cheesecake:
- 2 – 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted
- Chocolate ganache topping:
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- For the pound cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour and baking soda and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for three minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the eggs and mix on low to combine.
- Mix in ½ of the dry ingredients followed by the sour cream and vanilla. Blend in the remaining dry ingredients.
- For the cheesecake:
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy, about three minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the melted chocolate.
- Transfer ½ of the pound cake evenly to the prepared pan. Spoon the cheesecake over the pound cake and level with a metal spatula. Top with the remaining pound cake, gently leveling this layer out. You do not want to mix the layers.
- Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool completely and then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- For the chocolate ganache topping:
- In a small saucepan over medium low heat melt the butter with the cream. When it starts to simmer, turn the stove off and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are completely melted. Allow the topping to sit for 5 minutes. Transfer the topping to a gallon size plastic freezer bag and set aside.
- Lift the parchment paper out of the pan and transfer the cake, still attached to the parchment, on to a cutting board. Peel back the sides of the parchment paper. Trim the sides off the cake. If the sides are still higher than the center, gently push down on the top of the cake around the edge. Slice into individual pieces, cleaning the knife in between cuts. Do not remove from the parchment paper.
- Cut a small corner off the freezer bag and drizzle the topping all over the top of the cake. Refrigerate to set, still on the cutting board.
- Once set, transfer the slices to a serving tray.
- Store in the refrigerator.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- Spray the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray before placing the parchment paper into the pan. This helps the paper stay in place.
- It is optional to trim the cake edges.
- If necessary, use a small paring knife to separate the slices once the topping sets.
