Moist dark chocolate cake and creamy no bake vanilla cheesecake make a delicious pair in this striking black and white cheesecake. This high altitude tested chocolate and vanilla cheesecake combines the best flavors and textures of cake and cheesecake into a luscious dessert that’s both impressive looking, and surprisingly simple to create.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for carrot cake cheesecake, no bake chocolate chip cheesecake, and no bake lemon blueberry cheesecake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Cake instead of Crust. With a black and white cheesecake, you could go a few different ways to create the contrasting layers. There’s vanilla cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust, or just layers of chocolate cheesecake and vanilla cheesecake. And cheesecake on top of fudge brownies is fantastic. For my black and white cheesecake, though, I started with my popular chocolate cake (1/2 the recipe) which I soaked with coffee to keep it moist in the refrigerator. Creamy vanilla bean cheesecake on top of the chocolate cake looks stunning piped in beautiful swirls.
Showstopper Dessert. What makes this black and white cheesecake truly unique is the swirly piped cheesecake filling on top of the cake. Serve this beautiful dessert for any special occasion or holiday.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- All-Purpose Flour. Provides structure and strength.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetness and moisture.
- Cocoa Powder. Gives the chocolate cake its rich chocolate flavor. I used a combination of Dutch processed cocoa powder and black cocoa powder for an extra dark color.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the cake so it rises.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
- Eggs. Provide fat, richness and strength.
- Milk + Sour Cream. Flavor, moisture and richness.
- Vegetable Oil. Moisture.
- Espresso Powder. Enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
- Vanilla. Flavor.
- Coffee. Poured over the cake, it adds flavor and keeps the cake moist.
Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese. Use full-fat block cream cheese for the best flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens the cheesecake, while the fine texture dissolves easily.
- Vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Makes a rich, creamy cheesecake filling.
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray. Baker’s Note: I used an 8-inch cake pan in the photographed cake. A 9-inch pan will make slightly thinner layers.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, Dutch cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, vegetable oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until smooth, about 15-20 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake on the center rack for about 38 minutes for an 8 inch pan, or about 30-35 minutes for a 9 inch pan, until the center springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it. Set the pan on a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, brush or drizzle the coffee over the cake. Set the pan in the refrigerator, and cool completely, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours. When you’re ready to add the cheesecake layer, turn the cooled cake out onto a serving plate or cake pedestal.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand held electric mixer), beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar for 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and the cold heavy whipping cream. Beat on medium high speed for 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl down several times, until very smooth, fluffy and thick enough to hold its shape.
- Fit a disposable 16-inch piping bag with tip 1M, and fill half full with the cheesecake filling. Pipe swirls on top of the chocolate cake, refilling the piping bag as needed.
- If you don’t want to use a piping bag, you can also just pile the cheesecake on top of the chocolate cake and spread it out with an offset spatula, making it smooth or swirly on top.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container or cake carrier until ready to serve.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
The cake should be served chilled, and leftovers stored in a cake carrier, in the refrigerator, for up to 3-5 days.
If you don’t have black cocoa powder, simply replace it with the same amount of Dutch processed cocoa powder.
Since this is a refrigerated cake, the coffee soaked into the cake will keep it extra moist and soft, as well as adds coffee flavor. Instead of coffee, you can use coffee liqueur (Kahlua), or simply soak the cake with milk if you don’t want any coffee flavor at all.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Black and White Cheesecake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp black cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup strong brewed coffee (can also use Kahlua or coffee liqueur)
Cheesecake
- 20 oz (2 1/2 blocks) cream cheese, softened at room temperature for 1 hour
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream,
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray.Baker's Note: I used an 8-inch cake pan in the photographed cake. A 9-inch pan will make slightly thinner layers.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, Dutch cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, vegetable oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until smooth, about 15-20 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake on the center rack for about 38 minutes for an 8 inch pan, or about 30-35 minutes for a 9 inch pan, until the center springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it. Set the pan on a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, brush or drizzle the coffee over the cake. Set the pan in the refrigerator, and cool completely, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours. When you're ready to add the cheesecake layer, turn the cooled cake out onto a serving plate or cake pedestal.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand held electric mixer), beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar for 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and the cold heavy whipping cream. Beat on medium high speed for 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl down several times, until very smooth, fluffy and thick enough to hold its shape.
- Fit a disposable 16-inch piping bag with tip 1M, and fill half full with the cheesecake filling. Pipe swirls on top of the chocolate cake, refilling the piping bag as needed.
- If you don't want to use a piping bag, you can also just pile the cheesecake on top of the chocolate cake and spread it out with an offset spatula, making it smooth or swirly on top.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container or cake carrier until ready to serve.
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