- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder diluted in 1 1/4 cups hot water, cooled
- 1 12-ounce prepared pound cake, cut into 3 1/2x1x1/2-inch strips
- Finely chop chocolate in processor. Set aside.
- Mix sugar and egg yolks in processor 30 seconds. Add vanilla and process until pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add cheese in batches and blend until smooth. Transfer to medium bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.
- Beat whipping cream until stiff. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.)
- Pour espresso into large shallow dish. Dip cake strips in espresso, turning to coat all sides lightly. Arrange strips on bottom of 10-cup shallow dish, smoothing with fingers to mold together. Sprinkle with half of chocolate. top with chilled cheese mixture. Sprinkle remaining chocolate over. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)