Philly Fluff Cake

Ingredients

• 10 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan by greasing it well and dusting it with flour.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and shortening with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until the mixture looks pale and airy, about 5 minutes. In a separate smaller bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, then beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be quite thick.
3. Beat in 1 cup of the sugar gradually, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg goes in. Add the vanilla and the remaining 1 cup sugar, and keep beating until the batter is smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape the bowl.
4. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Add the melted chocolate over it, then run a knife through the batter to create a marbled pattern. Cover with the rest of the batter.
5. Bake until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a platter and let it finish cooling. Just before serving, dust it generously with confectioner's sugar.