Ingredients
Scale
For the chocolate cake base:
- 1 box of chocolate cake
Or
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Ingredients for the cheese layer:
- 2 lbs (32 oz) ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for the frosting:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 box of instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 container (8 oz) whipped topping (like Cool Whip) or equivalent homemade whipped cream
Note: If you want to make the chocolate pudding mix from scratch, here’s what you need:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups of milk
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare the baking pan by greasing it using either nonstick spray or butter, then lightly flour it – use a 9×13 inch pan here.Note: If you’re using box cake to make the chocolate cake, skip step 2.
- Take a large bowl and add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to it, mix it.
- Use a medium bowl and add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until everything is well combined.
- Start adding the wed ingredients from step 3 to the dry ingredients from step 2 as you’re mixing it until it becomes smooth – use a hand mixer or food processor to make mixing easier.
- Boil the water and add 1 cup of it to the chocolate cake batter (yes, the batter will be thin, but that’s ok!) – then pour everything into the prepared pan and set aside.
- To prepare the creamy ricotta cheese mixture use a separate bowl and mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until it’s well mixed and smooth.
- Pour the ricotta mixture carefully on top of the cake batter from step 5 and spread it evenly – then bake it for 60 minutes or until the center is set.
- For the frosting use a medium bowl and mix the instant pudding mix and milk until thickened, then fold in the whipped topping or homemade whipped cream and spread it over the cooled cake.Optional: If you want to make the creamy chocolate pudding topping from scratch, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. Add 2 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of the pudding mixture to a saucepan and whisk it over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Remove it from the heat and let it cool off at room temperature before pouring it over the pan with the cake batter and cheese layer.
- Leave the cake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or even better, overnight.
Lastly, slice it and enjoy it chilled – you could even garnish it with chocolate shavings or a bit of cocoa powder.