Recipe: Minted Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Cheese Cake

This cake needs only a simple introduction: a creamy raspberry cheesecake sandwiched between two moist, dark chocolate tortes accented with a hint of fresh mint. It is a unique combination of flavours packaged into one very impressive design.

Warning: Many of my readers will likely get their hands on a piece of this cake at some point. So if you are one of those (and you know who you are) who plan to simply enjoy the cake rather than whip one up yourself one day, maybe just skip past the ingredient list... it will help you maintain that age-old illusion that maybe, just maybe this dessert comes calorie free.    

Lets let the pictures do the rest of the talking...

Ingredients
Cheesecake 
This cheesecake recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake


1 3/4 cups sugar
6 oz. raspberries
32 oz. cream cheese
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Minted Dark Chocolate Torte 
This torte recipe was adapted from the Triple Chocolate Ganache Torte Recipe found at These Peas are Hollow

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/8 cups dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mint extract
10 fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cup boiling water

Icing and Filler


2-4 Tbsp E.D Smith Fruit Lover's Raspberry Jam 
1 1/2 lbs. dark chocolate
1/4 - 1/2 18% table cream


Directions


Cheesecake

1. Make the raspberry coulis - process raspberries in a food processor, such as the magic bullet, until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a fine sieve and discard the solids. Whisk in 2 Tbsp of sugar and set aside.
2. Prepare a 9 inch spring form pan by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside. Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
3. Cut up cream cheese into squares and put into the stand mixer's bowl. Attach the bowl and flat beater to the stand mixer. Mix on Speed 5 until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer's speed to Speed 2 and add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a slow and steady stream. Add the salt and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. 
4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared spring form pan. Drop the raspberry sauce by the teaspoon on top. With a toothpick, swirl the sauce into the batter. Top with remaining batter and repeat swirling with the raspberry sauce. 
5. Set the cake pan within a large roasting pan. Transfer to the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. 
6. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes or until cake is just slightly wobbly in the centre. 
7. Transfer the cake pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered 6 hours or overnight. 
8. On a baking sheet, place a large piece of plastic wrap. Remove the springform pan from around the cheesecake and transfer the cake, parchment paper and all, to the baking sheet, resting the cake in the middle of the plastic wrap. Wrap up the cheesecake very well and freeze for at least 24 hours or up to 4 months. 

Cheesecake in Photos: 

Raspberry Coulis

Springform pan lined with parchment paper

Just about ready to 'fluff' the cream cheese

Cheesecake batter in the springform pan with supplies ready for drizzling and swirling the raspberry coulis

To swirl the raspberry coulis, insert the toothpick and move in a swirling action. Notice the two completed sections at 12 and 1 on the pie

The cake, ready for baking, set within a roasting pan. Put this combo in the oven, then pour boiling water into the roasting pan. 

The finished product cooling on a rack. 

Minted Dark Chocolate Torte

1. Add fresh mint leaves to a food processor such as a magic bullet. Add about 1 Tbsp of water and blend until mint is nearly pureed. Add boiling water to the freshly processed mint and set aside to let steep. 
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt into a the stand mixer's bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and vegetable oil until combined. Add each egg one at a time and whisk until thoroughly incorporated before adding another. Add the buttermilk, milk and sour cream and mix until combined. Finally, add the mint extract and stir to incorporate. 
4. Attach the bowl and flat beater to the stand mixer. Turn on the stand mixer to Speed 2 and add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. 
5. Returning to the mint tea, pass tea through a fine sieve and discard solids. Add the liquid to the stand mixer contents. Mix until just combined. 
6. Oil two 9 inch cake pans. Batter will have produced 7 cups so to divide the batter equally between these two cake pans, measure out 3 1/2 cups into the first pan and pour the rest into the second. 
7. Bake at 350 degrees  Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the centre of each cake springs back when poked. Set the cakes out on a cooling rack and let cool completely before removing from the pan.  

Torte in Photos:

Fresh mint tea left to steep

Sugar after mixing with oil. Ready for the eggs to be added

After passing the mint tea through a sieve. 

Cake batter within cake pan ready for the oven

The finished cake, cooling on the rack

Icing

1. Attach the Food Shredder and Slicer attachment to the stand mixer, using the fine shredder blade
2. Turn the Stand Mixer on to Speed 6 and grind the dark chocolate, collecting in a large metal bowl
3. Place a large pot of water over medium heat. Place the bowl of chocolate over top of the pot. Be sure to use a bowl that is big enough that it does not sink into the pot rather is suspended over top of the steaming water. As the water heats up and steams, it will warm the bowl and melt the chocolate. Stir constantly as the chocolate melts.
4. Add cream to the melted chocolate until it is smooth and creamy. 
5. Remove from heat. 

Icing in Photos:

Grinding the chocolate

Ground chocolate

Set up for melting chocolate over a pot of boiling water 

The icing just after removing from heat

Assembly

1. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, unwrap it from its plastic wrap and parchment paper and let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. 
2. Transfer one completely cooled dark chocolate mint torte to the cake stand of choice and level out the top of the torte a large knife. Apply a thin layer of raspberry jam to the top of the cake. 
3. The cheesecake is still cold enough that you can simply pick it up with your hands and place it on top of the prepared chocolate torte. Spread another layer of raspberry jam on top of the cheesecake. Doing this while the cake is still frozen prevents the cheese from mixing with the jam. 
4. Level out the second chocolate torte and place on top of the cheesecake and jam. 
5. With icing that is warm but not hot, spread with a spatula over the top and sides of the cake. 
6. Press mint leaves and fresh raspberries on top of the cake 
7. Place the cake in the fridge to harden the icing. To ensure the cheesecake is thawed let the cake sit in the fridge for approximately 2 hours before serving. 

Torte #1 levelled and placed in the cake platter. Torte #2 is still on the cooling rack

Torte #1, Raspberry Jam Layer #1 and Cheesecake

Raspberry Jam Layer #2 overtop of Cheesecake

Torte #2 added on top. I flipped #2 so that the rougher cut top was face down and the more uniform original bottom of the cake was face up. 

Warm, NOT hot, icing ready for spreading. Hot icing will melt the cheesecake which will mix with the icing and cause white flecks on the exterior. 

Transfer a little bit of icing to a spatula. I found the cream spatula in the photo above was better at spreading the icing than the green one because it was flatter

Spreading the icing on the the side of the cake. Icing could be smoothed out once it cooled a little more. 

I soaked the mint leaves in cold water then patted them out between two pieces of paper towel. This helped to crisp them up and helped them unfold rather than staying crumpled up as they were in the package. 

The finished decor. The middle is shavings from an Intense Mint chocolate bar made by Lindt

While this decadent treat is savoured best with a smaller piece, you will find it easier to cut larger pieces. Cutting proved to be a bit messy, but with a warm knife and a gentle touch, pieces could be served cleanly.

What I Learned: 

• If I needed to, I think I could make a living by selling these cakes. It is downright delicious. Reminiscent of Black Forest cake (and I mean the really good kind made by my beautiful Grama De Meester), this cake has nearly everything one might look for in the perfect dessert. The tanginess of the raspberries meets the creaminess of the cheesecake all to be balanced out by a moist chocolate taste that is neither too sweet nor too bitter. The hint of mint is a fresh and welcome addition that brushes the palate with its soft subtle flavouring.
• After decorating, I realized how perfectly dressed for Christmas this cake is. Take this to your upcoming holiday party and you will be the star of the evening!
• I was worried this cake would be too much. As I worked on the project, I kept thinking it might just fit right in with this year's Toronto Exhibition 'Burger on a Krispy Kream Doughnut' - just a little too much of a few good things packaged together in an odd combination. I worried that the elements would have been fantastic on their own but packaged together it would be dessert overload. After tasting though my worries have melted away like this cake did in my mouth. All elements seem to complement each other so perfectly and it doesn't taste overly rich - surprisingly. 
• I just downright Loved experimenting with this project. Such good fun. It took some serious kitchen dedication but I am very proud of the end result and look forward to making it again soon - Dad's birthday, thanksgiving or Christmas... I'm looking at you. 

I used the stand mixer multiple times throughout this recipe. I likely would not have done this cake without it. Using the shredder attachment to cut up all the chocolate was a HUGE time and energy saver.