I made this cake for my best friend's birthday. She doesn't like traditional cake, so I picked something a little different. She and my friends all LOVED the cake (my boyfriend was a bit jealous I didn't make it for HIS birthday). My best friend's boyfriend even asked me where I bought the cake! I followed all the tips above, like making two coffee-flavored layers instead of just one, and doubling the Kahlua, and using the substitute for Mascarpone cheese. One note: The recipe above from HEIDI8803 for the Mascarpone cheese substitute should be halved; the recipe it came from, the raspberry cheesecake, calls for 16 oz. of the cheese. The only problems I had with the recipe were my own fault; DO NOT let the frosting sit (probably common sense, but this was my first solo cake baking venture). Whip it up right before you are going to frost the cake, otherwise it will separate. Also, freeze the chocolate before you try to make the pretty chocolate curls, otherwise they are more like chocolate chunks. It still looked alright though.

Reviewed On: Jun. 19, 2008