Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Spray the inside of a 7 inch solid one piece round cake pan (not a springform pan) with cooking oil spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment round. Don’t line the sides but make sure they are well greased.

Step 2

Separate egg yolks and whites. Place eggs whites into fridge until ready to use.

Step 3

Add chocolate chips to a large mixing bowl. Melt either in the microwave or on the stove (using the double boiler method). I used the microwave. If using microwave, heat chocolate in 15-30 second intervals, stirring in between with a spatula, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Step 4

Add in cream cheese. Mix in the cream cheese with spatula or whisk until fully incorporated and no cream cheese streaks remain.

Step 5

Add in egg yolks. Using a hand whisk, whisk in the egg yolks until no egg streaks remain and batter is smooth.

Step 6

Stir in the lemon zest until evenly incorporated.

Step 7

Remove egg whites from fridge. Place into a clean large mixing bowl. Beat at highest speed until stiff peaks form. I prefer to use a stand mixer but you can also use a hand mixer.

Step 8

Add one third of the egg white mixture to your egg yolk batter. Fold it in gently with a spatula until no egg white lumps remain (it's okay if there are a few streaks of white in your batter). Make sure you scoop up batter from the very bottom of the bowl each time you fold to make sure all of the batter gets incorporated with the egg whites. Repeat with the next 1/3 and then remaining 1/3.

Step 9

Pour batter into prepared cake pan. The cake will be baked in a water bath. To do this, place your cake pan into a slightly larger baking pan, like an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Place your cake pan into the bigger pan. Pour just enough cold tap water into the outer pan so that the water level reaches 1/4 inch. Make sure to add the water to the outer pan after you've put the cake in. If you add 1/4 inch of water before, the added weight of the cake pan and cake batter will push up your water level more than 1/4 inch. I recommend sticking in a ruler to measure the water level. It’s difficult to just “eye it” and looking at how far it reaches up the cake pan will also not be accurate. If your water level is too high, the bottom of your cake will cook too much, causing a dense bottom layer.

Step 10

Place cake with water bath into your oven. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cake should be puffed up and light brown on top. Turn off the oven but do not open the oven door and leave the cake in the oven for one hour. It is important to leave the cake in the oven (unopened) because this allows the cake to finish cooking and the gradual drop in temperature prevents the cake from suddenly collapsing. The cake will shrink down, but it shouldn't completely collapse. After one hour, you can remove the cake from the oven. Let the cake cool to room temperature. While cake can be enjoyed once cooled, the flavors won't be as pronounced and the cake won't be as sweet. For best result, place cake in the fridge for several hours or overnight. If putting it in the fridge, let it come to room temperature before serving. If desired, you can dust top with powdered sugar before serving. I also added some lemon curls for decoration.