Instructions

Make the Cheesecake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Gradually add in the sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest and salt. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the sour cream.
3. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper. Wrap the outside of the pan in foil. (I like to double wrap it to make sure water doesn’t leak in.) Pour the filling into the pan, and place in a roasting pan or a larger pan that the springform pan will fit into. Transfer to the oven. Fill the roasting pan with at least 1 inch of boiling water.
4. Bake until the cheesecake is just set in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cheesecake, then let it cool completely. Cover and chill overnight.
5. Once chilled, wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap and freeze.

Make the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes, then invert to a cooling rack to cool completely. Level the cakes, if needed.

Make the Frosting:

1. Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together with a mixer until combined. Add in the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake stand. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap and peel off the parchment paper. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the bottom cake layer. If the cheesecake is larger than the cake layer, trim as needed with a sharp knife. Place the top cake layer on top of the cheesecake layer. Coat the cake with a generous amount of the frosting to make a crumb coat, then use the remaining frosting to frost the cake. Top the cake with chocolate curls or grated chocolate to decorate.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.