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Margarita Cheesecake Cake with Margarita Bark Recipe

April 26, 2019 by Lisa Pinney

I’ve wanted to share this amazing cake for a while…what better time than for Cinco de Mayo!

It is quite a show-stopper..it is incredibly delicious…then if that isn’t enough, it’s topped with a yummy Margarita Candy Bark that is out of this world!

First, we are going to

make the yummy sauce to

brush over the cakes…

In your saucepan, combine

1/2 cup sugar, 2 TBSP water,

1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice,

1 1/2 TBSP lime juice…

Cook over medium heat until mixture

boils and sugar is dissolved…

Remove from heat and stir in

1 TBSP tequila,

1 1/2 TBSP Grand Marnier and

1 TBSP Rum Cream…

Cool to room temperature….

After taking the cakes out of the oven

brush with the Margarita Simple Syrup

and allow the cakes to cool about 10 minutes…

turn them out on a cooling rack to cool completely…

To assemble the cake…

Spread some of the Key Lime frosting

on the first cake layer…

Place the cheesecake layer

on next…

Put the top cake layer on

and frost the entire cake

with the remaining

frosting…

Next you’ll make the

Macadamia Crunch for the sides

of the cake by combining

6 graham crackers,

1/2 cup macadamia nuts,

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP light brown sugar,

2 pinches of Hawaiian Sea Salt

2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup shredded coconut

in your chopper or food processor…

Look at this beautiful

Hawaiian Sea Salt my sweet

daughter brought me from Maui!

Add the melted butter before grinding…

Combine it well with a fork…

Place the topping over the sides

of the cake…

Set the cake in the refrigerator

to set while you make the

Margarita Bark…

In a microwave safe bowl,

add the 2 cups white chocolate melts…

Microwave 30 seconds and stir…

do this multiple times until the

chocolate is melted…

Pour onto parchment paper

and spread thin…

Now melt the lime green melts

the same way…

30 seconds and stirring

until melted…

add the tequila and lime juice…

Plop by spoonfuls onto the

white chocolate and

swirl with a toothpick …

Place in the refrigerator or

freezer until solid…

break into pieces…

Place on the top of the cake like so!

Gorgeous!

Print

Margarita Cheesecake Cake with Margarita Bark Recipe

  • Author: Lisa Pinney

Ingredients

Scale
  • Key Lime Cake:
  • 2 1/4 cups Cake Flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Crisco
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 7 egg whites, room temperature, divided
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp lime zest
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • Margarita Simple Syrup:
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 TBSP water
  • 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 TBSP lime juice
  • 1 TBSP tequila
  • 1 1/2 TBSP Grand Marnier
  • 1 TBSP Rum Cream
  • The Cheesecake Layer:
  • 2 — 8oz pkg cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 TBSP cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • Macadamia Nut Crunch Topping:
  • 6 graham crackers
  • 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 1 TBSP brown sugar
  • 2 pinches Hawaiian Sea Salt
  • 3 TBSP butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup coconut
  • Margarita Bark:
  • 2 cups Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melts
  • 1 cup light or neon green candy melts
  • 2 TBSP tequila
  • 1 TBSP sweetened Lime Juice
  • Sparkling Sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 — 9 ” cake pans with nonstick spray; set aside. Line the pans with parchment paper rounds.

Making the Cake:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

With your mixer beat butter and shortening until creamy.

Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary.

Add vanilla, juices and zest; beat until light and fluffy.

Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour.

In a clean bowl, beat the remaining 5 egg whites until white peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into batter until just incorporated; do not over mix as the egg whites will deflate.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing a little over 3½ cups of batter per cake pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick test clean; Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.

While cakes are warm, brush them with the simple syrup; let stand until completely cooled before assembling and frosting.

Prepare the Margarita Simple Syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and juices.

Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves completely and mixture comes to a boil.

Remove pan from heat; stir in tequila and liqueurs; set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the Cream Cheese Buttercream:

With your mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium speed; increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary.

Gradually add 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed until well combined; beat on high speed until well combined and smooth, about 1 minute.

Making the Cheesecake Layer:

With your mixer, beat the cream cheese, cornstarch and sugar until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time beating until blended.

Next add the whipping cream and flavoring.

Line a 9″ cake pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake on 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Refrigerate overnight, turn out onto parchment, wrap and place in freezer while you prepare the cake.

Assembling the Cake:

Place one cake layer on serving plate and cover with some of the frosting.

Next add the cheesecake layer, trimming to fit the same size as the bottom cake layer.

Add more frosting on top of the cheesecake layer and place top layer on top.

Use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of cake.

Cover the sides and a bit of the top edge with the Macadamia Crunch Topping.

Making the Margarita Bark:

Add 2 tablespoons of tequila to the Ghirardelli White Chocolate before microwaving at increments of 30 seconds, stirring each time.

When smooth and melted, spread thin on parchment paper.

Add the Sweetened Lime Juice to the Lime Green melts and microwave them in 30 seconds increments, stirring each time.

When smooth and melted, drop by spoonfuls onto the white chocolate. Swirl with toothpick to get desired look. Sprinkle with the sparkling sugar.

Place in refrigerator or freezer to harden through.

Break into pieces and add to the top of the cake decoratively.

Refrigerate cake until ready to slice and serve. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: cheesecake, dessert

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Fried Pies & Fireflies started in 2011 as a way for southern cook, Lisa Cook, to share her recipes with family and friends. Let's dig deeper →

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