Cherry Cheesecake Chocolate Bundt Cake

Can you believe that the holidays are nearly upon us? If you’ve got visions of sugar plums dancing in your head already, then just the sight of this treat will be enough to make you want to start decking the halls.

For this decadent recipe, we’ve partnered up with our friends over at Food Network to support Holiday Baking Championship. The show premieres Sunday at 9/8c on Food Network. We hope you’ll join us in checking out the championship!

Our “contestant” in the championship? A cherry chocolate cheesecake like you’ve never seen before. This dessert is not only beautiful; it’s packed with a variety of vibrant flavors that melt together to evoke that holiday spirit. Check out the video below to see how this stunning bundt cake comes together. And try not to drool.

Watch Holiday Baking Championship Sundays at 9/8c on Food Network!

Cherry Cheesecake Chocolate Bundt Cake

Serves 10-12
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1-½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 oz unsalted butter
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
  • 1 heaping Tbsp. espresso powder
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1-½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 16 jumbo maraschino cherries, drained
  • ¾ cup cherry pie filling

Cheesecake Filling

  • 2 – 8 oz. packages cream cheese
  • ½ cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg

Glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉ / 175℃. Spray a 10-12 cup Bundt pan generously with baking spray with flour. Set aside.
  2. Cake

  3. In a large bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda. Whisk until fully blended.
  4. In a small saucepan, combine the water and 6 oz. butter. Place over medium heat and cook until the butter has melted. Add cocoa and espresso powders and whisk until no lumps remain. Add the chocolate chips and continue stirring until completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
  5. Add chocolate sauce to the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined. Blend in sour cream. Add eggs and vanilla, then mix until fully combined, making sure not to over-mix the batter.
  6. Cheesecake Filling

  7. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour and egg and beat until smooth.
  8. Assembly

  9. Evenly, pour 1-½ Tbsp. melted butter into the bottom of the prepared Bundt pan. Evenly, sprinkle 2 Tbsp. brown sugar on top of the melted butter. Place 2 maraschino cherries each into the larger grooves of the Bundt pan.

    Pour ¾ of the prepared cake batter on top of the cherries. With a large spoon, evenly spoon the cheesecake filling into the center of the batter, not allowing it to touch the sides of the pan. Spoon cherry pie filling on top of the cheesecake filling, again not allowing it to touch the sides of the pan. Pour remaining cake batter over the filling.

  10. Bake 50 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then flip cake out of pan and cool completely.
  11. Glaze

  12. ​Once cake has cooled, prepare the glaze. In a large bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk, whisk until smooth. Drizzle cake with glaze. Allow glaze to set and serve.

This is a sponsored post, paid for by our partner, Food Network. Don’t forget to tune in on November 6th to check out the first episode of the 3rd season of their Holiday Baking Championship!