Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Line the entire inside of a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan with aluminum foil. Press it into the pan to get it as flat as you can. You’ll use the aluminum foil to lift the cheesecake out of the pan when it’s baked and cooled.

In a large mixer bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and flour together until combined. Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the lined cake pan.

Place the cake pan inside another larger pan. I use a larger cake pan, but you can use a roasting pan or any other larger baking pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. Do not open the door or you’ll release the heat.

Crack open the oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. This cooling process helps the cheesecake cool slowly to prevent cracks.

Remove cheesecake from oven, remove from water bath and chill until firm, 4-5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line the bottoms of two 9-inch (23cm) cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.

Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.

Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs, vinegar and red food coloring to a medium sized bowl and combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Batter will be thin.

Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 23-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

When you’re ready to build the cake, make the frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.

Add about half of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth. You can add a little more or less powdered sugar, to reach the right consistency.

Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the red velvet cakes. Break the domes up into crumbs for decorating later, if using. If the pieces are really moist and hard to break up, you can spread them out onto a cookie sheet and bake them in a 200 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes to help dry them out. Set aside.

Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake layer.

Use the aluminum foil to lift the cheesecake out of the cake pan, remove the foil and place the cheesecake on top of the cake.

Spread another cup of frosting evenly on top of the cheesecake, then add the second layer of cake on top. If the sides of the cake don’t line up, use a serrated knife to trim off the excess cake or cheesecake.

Frost the outside of the cake. Check out my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if you’d like. Pipe shells of frosting around the top edge of the cake. I used Ateco tip 844.

Press the crumbs from earlier into the sides of the cake. You want to do this immediately after frosting, for they may not stick as well. Use some additional crumbs for decorating the top of the cake.

Store the cake (in an airtight container, if possible) in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cake is best if eaten within 3-4 days.