a few drops of red/pink food color (completely optional)
2cups (more or less, as desired)chopped white chocolate peppermint bar(see *Tips below)
Instructions
CHEESECAKE
Preheat the oven to 325. Place a pan filled with 1 inch of water on the lower rack (the moisture in the oven helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking). The cheesecake will bake on the middle rack. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping the sides as necessary. Mix in the eggs, then mix in the sour cream and whipping cream. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cheesecake is no longer jiggly. Let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack for about an hour When it has cooled, wrap the pan and place it in the freezer until it is quite firm, at least a couple of hours (longer, if needed).
CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray (I like to use the Pam Baking spray with flour). If you don't have the baking spray with flour, it's best to line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the egg whites, milk, butter and extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
Divide the batter between the two pans. (See *Tips below) Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the cakes test done with a toothpick inserted into the center coming out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes, then gently remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool completely on racks.
FROSTING
n a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the frosting is smooth and spreadable (add some color, if you wish).
ASSEMBLY
Place one cake layer in the center of a cake plate or platter. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the first cake layer.
Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take the side off of the pan and slide a knife under the cheesecake to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Trim the cheesecake, as need to match the size of your cake layers (see *Tips). Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the cheesecake. Then place the 2nd layer of cake on top of the cheesecake.
Place a large amount of frosting on top of the cake, spread the frosting out to the edges and down the sides of the cake. Fill in the rest with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle chopped chocolate on the top and down the sides of the cake, as desired..
Keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Let the cake get quite chilled, then gently cover it with plastic wrap
Notes
For the white chocolate peppermint bar you can use any of the following: Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, chopped Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, or chopped Hersheys Candy Cane Bars. Most of these items are available at Walmart, Target or other drugstores during the holidays.
To get nice, even, flat cakes I use Bake-Even Strips. You can find them at craft stores that sell Wilton products (like Michael's) or on Amazon. Just pre-soak them in water, wrap around the pans and they insulate the pans so they don't rise with a dome in the middle. You'll get nice, flat cakes that are easier to decorate!
Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger size round than your cake layers, move it to a cutting board and use a knife to gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake.