Devil’s Food Cake with a Cheesecake Center

Devil’s Food Cake with a Cheesecake Center For the Devil's Food Cake 1 (15.25 ounce) cake mix 1 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs 1 (12 ounce) jar hot caramel topping, divided For the Cheesecake Layer 3 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 4 large eggs 1 (16 ounce) sour cream 3 teaspoons vanilla extract For the Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon espresso powder 1 tablespoon hot water 3/4 cup special dark unsweetened cocoa 5 cup confectioners' sugar 3 tablespoons buttermilk Optional Topping remaining hot caramel chocolate sprinkles For the Devil's Food Cake: THE DAY BEFORE YOU WANT TO SERVE THIS CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°; spray two 9-inch cake pans with non stick cooking spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper cut to fit, spray on top of the parchment paper, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the cake mix, water, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Divide evenly (about 2 cups per pan), bake 24 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes, turn onto wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, place in refrigerator. IMPORTANT: 2 HOURS BEFORE PUTTING THE CAKE TOGETHER PLACE IN THE FREEZER. This makes for a sturdier cake while decorating. For the Cheesecake: Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil, place in a deep baking pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl whip the cream cheese until fluffy, add the sugar, combine. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla; continue mixing until all lumps are gone and the mixture is smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture into prepared pan. Place in the oven; pour hot water into the outer pan; about 2 inches up the sides. Bake 1½ hours, cool on wire rack, cover and refrigerate overnight. NOTE: The cheesecake will get tall during the baking, once the cake cools it will deflate to the correct size. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. IMPORTANT: 2 HOURS BEFORE PUTTING THE CAKE TOGETHER PLACE IN THE FREEZER. For the Dark Chocolate Frosting: In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and cream cheese. In a small bowl stir together the espresso powder and water, pour into the cream cheese mixture, whip until combined. Add the cocoa and confectioners' sugar (only 1 cup at a time) to the creamed mixture, along with the buttermilk. Continue whipping the frosting 3 to 5 minutes. Putting It All Together: If needed trim the top off the cake. Place one of the layers onto the cake stand. Pour 1/3 cup of the hot caramel sauce (DO NOT HEAT) on the top of the cake, evenly spread. Release the sides of the cheesecake and place on top of the layer of cake. NOTE: My cheesecake was a little bit larger then my cake (even though they were both baked in 9-inch baking pans), once the cheesecake was on top of the cake, I used a knife and trimmed the cheesecake to the same size as the cake. Pour an additional 1/3 cup of the hot caramel sauce onto the cheesecake, evenly spread. Add the remaining cake layer on top of the cheesecake. Spread a generous amount of frosting on the sides of the cake and a thin layer on top. Add optional topping of the remaining hot caramel and chocolate sprinkles to the top of the cake on top of the frosting. Spoon remaining frosting into a large pipping bag fitted with a 1M pipping tip. Pipe florets on the top of the cake. Add more chocolate sprinkles