Cheesecake-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake

Greeny4444's Note:

I got this recipe in my email, but it's originally from the June 2007 issue of Oxmoor House. This cake uses shortcuts, but you could easily use your own homemade frosting and cheesecake. Just a warning, even using the shortcuts, the ingredients for this cake cost around $25. *Note: Prep time includes an hour of refrigeration.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• unsweetened cocoa
• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) package devil's food cake mix (not pudding in the mix)
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate extract (optional)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 (1 5/8 ounce) milk chocolate candy bars, finely chopped (Hershey's is recommended)
• 3 (16 ounce) cans cream cheese frosting, homestyle
• 3 (7 3/4 ounce) cheesecake, bites frozen, coarsely chopped (Sara Lee is recommended)
• 1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
• rolled wafer cookie, coarsely broken (Pirouline is recommended)

Directions:

1. Grease 2 (9") round cake pans, and dust with cocoa.
2. Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; then beat at medium speed 2 minutes.
3. Fold in chopped milk chocolate bars.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
5. Cool cake in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
6. Using a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers.
7. Place 1 layer, cut side down, on a cake plate. Spread with 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with one-fourth of chopped cheesecake bites.
8. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 layers.
9. Note: gently press down the middle of each layer a little bit while stacking, so the cake doesn't have too much of a dome at the end.
10. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting.
11. Heat the caramel sauce so it pours easily, and drizzle the desired amount of caramel sauce over cake, letting it drip down sides.
12. Chill until ready to serve.
13. Decorate cake with rolled wafer cookies.
14. Store in refrigerator.