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This cake is super rich, but a beautiful cake for a holiday or special occasion. I sure wish my DIL was here – tomorrow is her birthday and she loves chocolate and would love this cake.   Happy virtual birthday Dawn. I adapted this recipe from Shugary Sweets.

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE
CHEESECAKE
2 8-ounce packages Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature
2/3 cup fine sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla
pinch fresh ground Himalayan Pink salt

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Add a cake pan half full of water to lower shelf in oven.
• Prepare a 9 inch springform pan with non-stick spray. Wrap foil around the bottom and up the sides.  Cut a circle section of parchment paper to fit in the bottom and spray it also with non-stick spray.
• Beat cream cheese with sugar until light and creamy.
• Add salt and eggs one at a time, beating until creamy after each addition.
• Beat in sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice and vanilla.
• Pour into prepared pan and place in preheated oven.  Immediately lower temperature to 325°.
• Bake 45 minutes.
• Turn oven off and leave cake in for 30 more minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool on rack until completely cool.
• When cool, wrap in saran and place in freezer for 2-3 hours.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 cup butter
4 cups sugar
4 JUMBO eggs
4 cups buttermilk
5 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground Himalayan Pink salt

• Grease and “flour” 2 9-inch pans.  I use cocoa instead of flour so the coloring matches.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add eggs and beat well.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.
• Add alternately flour mixture, vanilla and buttermilk until well blended and smooth.
• Pour into prepared pan(s).
• Bake 30-50 minutes depending on pan until center springs back and toothpick comes out clean.

FROSTING
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup caramel sauce (recipe below or jarred is okay)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
pinch fresh ground Himalayan Pink salt

• Beat butter until fluffy.
• Add caramel sauce, milk, salt and powdered sugar gradually, beating until smooth and creamy between additions.

CARAMEL SAUCE

• Stir in the sugar until well incorporated and cook over a moderately high heat, undisturbed until a deep amber caramel forms.
• Turn off heat and carefully stir in butter with a long spoon.  Careful, it will spit.
• Add the heavy cream in a thin stream, stirring constantly until smooth.
• Add salt and blend well.
• Transfer the caramel to a heatproof container and allow to cool.

GANACHE
4 ounces dark chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream

• In a double boiler or microwave at 30 second intervals, melt chocolate with heavy cream. Cool.

ASSEMBLY
1/2 bag Heath Bar baking pieces
2 tablespoons caramel sauce (recipe above or jarred is okay)
pinch fresh ground Himalayan Pink salt

• On a cake plate arrange 1 chocolate cake layer.
• Top with the cheesecake layer.
• Sprinkle half of the heath bar pieces on top of cheesecake and press down lightly.
• Add 2nd chocolate cake to the later.  Gently press the layers together.
• Frost cake.
• Add ganache to the top (some will run down sides).
• Sprinkle with salt and then add remaining Heath bar pieces.