Recipes Desserts Cake Philly Fluff Cake 3.0 (1) 1 Review A Philly Fluff Cake, despite the name, is dense, moist, and tender, with rich swirls of bittersweet chocolate and a well-browned, sugary crisp exterior. It is more similar to a pound cake than a fluffy cake, and a generous portion of cream cheese in the batter lends the cake a gentle tang, and perhaps offers a clue to half of its name. A mixture of canola oil and butter stand in for traditional shortening, still giving the cake a pleasant moisture while adding delicious buttery flavor. By Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto Instagram Anna Theoktisto is a recipe tester and developer. Anna has been working in Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2017, and her recipes and writing have appeared in over 10 nationally distributed print publications, as well as on various digital platforms. When not in the kitchen, Anna enjoys hiking with her son, husband, and two dogs, and fostering puppies for a local animal rescue group. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 13, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Active Time: 25 mins Cool Time: 2 hrs Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins Servings: 12 Ingredients Baking spray with flour 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened ½ cup canola oil 3 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 5 large eggs, at room temperature 1 vanilla bean pod, split (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) 6 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate 4 cups (about 17 ounces all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ cup whole milk 1 tablespoon powdered sugar Directions Preheat oven to 300°F. Coat a 15-cup Bundt pan with baking spray (alternatively, lightly grease pan with butter, and dust with flour). Set aside. Beat cream cheese, butter, and oil with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add granulated sugar and salt; beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a paring knife, carefully scrape seeds from split vanilla bean pod. With mixer running on low speed, add vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract), and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Place chocolate in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on 30% power for 30 seconds. Stir well, and continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until chocolate is completely melted and smooth; set aside at room temperature to cool until ready to use. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on medium speed until combined after each addition. Transfer 3 cups batter to a medium bowl (reserve remaining vanilla batter in mixer bowl), and stir in melted chocolate until combined. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour, 40 minutes to 1 hour, 50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature up to 3 days. Rate it Print