Flourless Chocolate & Vanilla Marble Cake

By roxy21

Dense, luscious cake with a texture a little like fudge and a little like cheesecake.

Ingredients

• For the vanilla batter:
• 8 oz cream cheese (1 block), softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• For chocolate batter:
• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 5 oz (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp dark rum or espresso
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch salt
• cocoa powder for dusting

Preparation

Step 1

Position oven rack in middle and heat oven to 300F. Lightly grease 9x2 inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment.

Make vanilla batter: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until well blended and no lumps remain. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just blended. Set aside.

Make the chocolate batter: In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly. With a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla, and salt on medium high until the mixture is pale and thick, 3-4 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and continue beating until well blended.

Combine and bake: Spread about half the chocolate batter in the bottom of the pan. Alternately add large scoopfuls of each of the remaining batters to the cake pan. Using a knife or tip of a spatula, gently swirl the 2 batters together so they're mixed but not completely blended. Rap the pan against the counter several times to settle the batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted about 2 inches from the edge comes out gooey but not liquid, 40 to 42 minutes; don't overbake. The top will be puffed and slightly cracked, especially around the edges. It will sink down as it cools. Let cool on a rack for 1 1/2 hours. Loosen the cake from the pan by holding the pan almost perpendicular to the counter; tap the pan on the counter while rotating it clockwise. Invert onto a large flat plate or board. Remove the parchment, sift some cocoa powder over the cake. Invert again onto a similar plate for serving. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.