This Neapolitan Cheesecake Cake is the ultimate in decadence! Creamy vanilla cheesecake is layered between chocolate and strawberry cake in this delicious recipe.
Cheesecake cakes never fail to impress. Make sure to try my Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake and Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake recipes, too.
Why This Recipe Works
Today’s cheesecake cake recipe is ideal when you can’t decide what to have for dessert.
Cake or Cheesecake? Strawberry cake or chocolate cake? So many questions.
And Neapolitan Cheesecake Cake is the answer!
- It starts with two cake layers — one chocolate, one strawberry.
- The center layer is a perfect vanilla cheesecake.
- The whole thing is covered with a rich chocolate frosting.
- A delicious make-ahead recipe you can freeze for later!
Ingredient Notes
- Cake mix – Make chocolate and strawberry cake mix according to the package directions in layer pans.
- Cream cheese- Use the regular cream cheese sold in sticks, not tubs.
- Sour cream – Makes the cheesecake layer smoother and tangier.
- Eggs – For binding the cheesecake ingredients.
- Vanilla extract – My homemade vanilla extract gives the cheesecake an incredible flavor.
- Chocolate syrup – adds additional chocolate flavor to the buttercream frosting on this cheesecake cake.
Tips & Tricks
Let’s break down the steps for making Neapolitan Cheesecake Cake:
- Bake the cheesecake layer first. I do this a day or more in advance, and freeze the finished cheesecake. Along with keeping it fresh, the frozen cheesecake is less delicate, so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart when assembling the cake.
- For the cake layers, you’ll want to bake your cakes in the same size pans as your springform pan. I use a 9-inch springform pan, and then use my 9-inch cake pans.
- Keep my cake layers even I always use these bake even strips. Less trimming and wasted cake.
- You’ll only need one layer of each cake for this recipe. Wrap up the extra ones and freeze them for later. Or use them to make this Neapolitan Trifle!
- When it’s time to assemble, start with your chocolate layer, then frozen cheesecake, and then the strawberry cake layer.
- Finally, add the chocolate frosting. This chocolate frosting is whipped until it’s light and airy.
- Do what I did and garnish the top of your cheesecake cake with a few Chocolate Covered Strawberries before serving!
Recipe FAQs
Can I make the cakes from scratch instead?
Of course! Here’s a recipe for Strawberry Layer Cake and one for Chocolate Cake that would both work beautifully as the cake layers here.
What should I do with the extra cake layers?
I wrap mine in foil and freezer bags, then keep them in the freezer. Thaw and use in cake balls, trifles or another cheesecake cake, when you need a quick dessert!
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make all the individual layers ahead of time and freeze them for up to a couple of months. OR you can go ahead and assemble the whole Neapolitan cheesecake cake and store it covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
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Neapolitan Cheesecake Cake
Layers of chocolate and strawberry cake with a cheesecake filling. Surrounded by chocolate buttercream frosting for an ultimate treat.
Ingredients
For the cheesecake layer:
- 2 packages cream cheese, softened 8 ounce each
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate cake layer:
- 1 box chocolate cake mix with ingredients according to package
For the strawberry cake layer:
- 1 box strawberry cake mix with ingredients according to package
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- To begin making this cake, make sure you read all the directions completely before starting!
For the cheesecake layer:
- I begin by preparing the cheesecake layer.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a large roasting pan with a few inches of water in it on a rack in the lower 2/3 of the oven.
- Prepare 9-inch springform pan by placing a piece of parchment paper on the plate portion of the pan. Tighten the ring and set aside.
- Beat cream cheese with granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Add in salt and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract. Pour into prepared 9-inch springform pan. Place in preheated oven on middle rack.
- Bake cheesecake for about 50 minutes, until beginning to brown. Turn oven off and allow cheesecake to sit in oven for an additional 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on counter.
- When cooled, using a butter knife to run along the edges of the springform pan and release the cheesecake. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.
For the cake layers:
- Prepare chocolate and strawberry cakes according to package directions, in 9-inch cake pans. You will only need one layer of each cake for this recipe, so you can store the extra cake in the freezer for a later date.
For the frosting:
- Beat butter for 2-3 minutes until pale yellow. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup and milk and beat for an additional 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
To assemble:
- Place the chocolate layer cake on the cake platter first. Remove the plastic wrap from the cheesecake and place top side down over the chocolate cake layer, Remove the springform pan plate and peel off the parchment paper from the cheesecake. Now top with the layer of strawberry cake.
- Cover in chocolate frosting and enjoy!
- I dipped fresh strawberries in melted dipping chocolate to use as a garnish. ENJOY.
Notes
- Freeze your extra cake layers for another time, or turn them into cake balls!
- For the cake layers, you’ll want to bake your cakes in the same size pans as your springform pan. I use a 9-inch springform pan, and then use my 9-inch cake pans.
- Keep my cake layers even I always use these bake even strips. Less trimming and wasted cake.
- You’ll only need one layer of each cake for this recipe. Wrap up the extra ones and freeze them for later. Or use them to make this Neapolitan Trifle!
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 358kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 92mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 44g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!
Decadent, delicious, gorgeous Neapolitan Cheesecake Cake is a surprisingly easy to make dessert that’ll wow everyone at the table!
Absolutely love that you made the middle layer cheesecake. Genius, I tell you!
Ha! Say it again. I’m a genius 🙂
This is GORGEOUS!! I want a slice. Or three. 🙂
I would happily share with you 🙂
I appreciate your labor! It turned out SO well! 🙂 This looks amazing and I’m dying at the cheesecake in the middle 🙂
I really liked the PINK frosting. Then again I am a PINK person. HA!!!
You can totally go with the pink….take out the cocoa, add a couple of fresh berries…and a LARGE drop of pink gel food coloring 🙂
This cake is gorgeous! I absolutely love neapolitan stuff! I hear you on the gel food paste… I just did that same exact thing. Too much pink! Haha!
So frustrating….and it kept getting pinker as the minutes passed, LOL
Why is it that us food bloggers always have to be perfectionists?? I redid a recipe just yesterday because the photos didn’t turn out right. I guess we’re just two peas in a pod! And having extra cake around is no problem for me… Just my skinny jeans. 😉 Thanks for the link love Aimee! Pinned!
I’m lucky to have good friends who answer a facebook call….”who wants cake?” LOL
Can I borrow your friends?? 😉 I still haven’t met very many people after moving; I need to get on that so I stop eating so much sugar! I think I remember you mentioning that you donated some treats to the fire station… Is that true? Because I now live two stoplights away from one, so that’d be perfect!
We haven’t met many new people yet either. But we moved back to our old town, so that made it easy (cause we do still have friends here)! They would take your treats any day. I haven’t given to the fire station, but that’s a great idea!!! I know many others who do that.
Moving back home is the best! So glad you and your family were able to do that. 🙂 We started out in a college town, so most of our friends moved away to bigger and better things shortly after graduation. Not much to move back to! I’ll try the fire station sometime soon; thanks!
This cake is so over the top! Amazing!!!
This looks AMAZING! I had a craving for Neapolitan ice cream last week and had to go buy some. Of course, as a kid I told my mom I didn’t like it! lol!
Wow. This one is a stunner! It must’ve been tough to start again after the first cake, but now I bet you’re glad you did! And freezing the cheesecake is a great idea and breaks up the steps. Love it!
What’s better than cheesecake? THREE LAYERS of cheesecake! So worth the effort!
All your hard work paid off, Aimee! This cake is gorgeous 🙂
Thank you Megan 🙂
What a lovely cake and such a great idea to freeze the second layer of cake to use in the future, sometimes I forget that.
Come back in a couple days…I’ve got a good use for that extra cake 🙂
I think that I am going to be a little obsessed about this cake and may just have make it and I just might not share it with anyone……. j/k
OMG! So decedent, beautiful and over the top! I can not wait to try it! Wishing I had a piece for breakfast this morning. 🙂
Having extra cake in the freezer can never be a bad thing, right? You did a beautiful job on this cake, Amy. It’s lovely.
What a beautiful cake! Love the neapolitan flavors!
Wow – a true labor of love indeed! I love Neapolitan anything and what a great tip about freezing the cheesecake before assembling. Hey, if you ever have extra cake or anything sweet hanging around the house, feel free to just send it to me. I’ll be happy to take care of it for you. 🙂
Absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
Aimee, this cake totally sounds like a labor of love, but I am so glad you went back into the kitchen because I LOVE the finished version!
Omg, yes! I love this! Neapolitan can be so hard to get right – the pink is the hardest! And the icing color totally gets darker as it sits. Beautiful finished cake!