red velvet cheesecake cake

My birthday is this weekend. Last year, while my husband was home with our daughter who was sick, he tried to surprise me by baking me a cake. First thing the baby did when I walked in the door after work was to drag me to the freezer where my husband had stashed the layers. I was indeed surprised when I saw the finished product: He had made white chocolate fondant to cover the three layer cake and tinted a portion black to decorate it with a swirl… It was very, very impressive! And a very thoughtful gesture that turned him off white chocolate for a long while. I know he would have probably baked something again this year, but he knows how much I enjoy spending time in the kitchen. So, when I asked to bake something myself, he allowed me the pleasure!

I’ve been wanting to bake this cake forever. I think I have it 4 times in my evernote, from 4 different blogs. I seriously considered baking it for Christmas, but my dessert contribution was getting too expensive. So, for my birthday it is. Also appropriate for v-day, with everything white, red and pink plastered everywhere!

Since my brother and his wife are vacationing in Mexico, it’s just my parents, my husband, my girls and myself celebrating this year. I’ve decided to bake a little 6 inch cake, just to make sure we’re only eating one portion of this bad boy.  

As I said, this recipe’s been everywhere on the blogosphere, but it seems the original recipes where adapted from Apple a Day and Martha Stewart. This version yields a 6 inch cake. I baked the cheese cake and cake layers the day before serving, and made the frosting and assembled the cake the day of.

I’m glad I made it, but was a bit disappointed. I thought the cake was a bit dry, and the cheesecake too soft. There was almost not difference between the cheesecake and the frosting, texture wise. I was happy with the flavour of the cheesecake though. I totally messed up the icing, so we’ll ignore that component. I don’t know. The idea was sound, but…

I should mention that the cake is a breeze to whip up. No butter to soften, two bowls and a few tools. Easy peasy. Really. Takes no time at all.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

For the cheesecake:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 3/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in lemon zest and juice, and salt. Beat in the egg and scrape down the side of the bowl. Beat in sour cream.

Cut parchment paper in a circle and line the bottom of a 6 in springform pan. Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 40 minutes. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Cover; chill overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

For the cake:
1 1/4 c. cake flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 ½  tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 TBSP red food coloring
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. white distilled vinegar

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat egg, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Divide batter evenly between 2 greased and floured 6" round cake pans and bake 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool 5 minutes, then invert each onto a plate, then invert again onto a cooling rack. Let cakes cool completely, then level. (You can keep the scraps to crumble up and use to decorate the cake once it’s frosted.)

For the frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. butter, softened
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add sugar and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 5–7 minutes.

Assembly:
Place bottom layer on cake stand. Remove cheesecake from freezer, unwrap, and remove from metal bottom, then peel off parchment paper. Place cheesecake layer on top of the bottom layer of the red velvet cake. If the cheesecake is wider than the cake, and it is necessary to to trim it, wait approximately 10 minutes for the cheesecake to soften, then trim it with a knife. Place top layer of cake on top of the cheesecake, and coat with a generous layer of the cream cheese frosting to act as the crumb coat. Be careful not to get any red velvet crumbs in the bowl of frosting! Refrigerate approximately 30 minutes, then frost with as much of the remaining frosting as necessary.