Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

This decadent Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake is as delicious as it is beautiful!

A layer of cheesecake is sandwiched between two moist red velvet cake layers and frosted with cream cheese frosting in this impressive, elegant dessert!

Because of the red and white layers, this makes a great Christmas Cake recipe, Valentine's Day Recipe or even a patriotic cake (with a few blueberries thrown on top!).

No matter what the occasion, this cake is sure to bring rave reviews from the red velvet cake lovers in your life!

For the Cheesecake Layer

Cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake are a match made in heaven, and a cheesecake layer elevates this classic cake to a whole new level! Don't be intimidated by this dessert- it is much easier to make than it looks!

Just as with our Strawberry Cheesecake Cake and others, we like to make the cheesecake layer first. It is simple and quick to make, but it needs plenty of time to bake and cool.

You can find the full, printable cake recipe card below, but here is a quick rundown of our steps!

For the Water Bath

Some bakers wrap the bottom of the springform pan in foil and bake it in a water bath. However, we prefer this alternate method that works very well: 

Place a 9x13 or roasting pan filled with about an inch or so of water in the oven on a lower rack and then preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. This step promotes even baking and prevents cracking.

• Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.

• In a mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese until smooth. (We used a handheld electric mixer).
• Mixing at low speed, add the granulated sugar, salt, and all purpose flour.
• Add vanilla extract and sour cream to the cream cheese mixture. Mix at low speed until smooth and incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix until well combined.

• Pour the cheesecake batter into springform pan lined with parchment and place on a rack just above the pan of water.

• Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be set at this point- it may jiggle slightly.
• Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake inside for 30 more minutes with the oven door slightly open. (This helps the cake to cool without cracking.)
• Then, allow the cheesecake to cool on the countertop.

• Then, place foil on the pan and chill in the freezer for 2-3 hours. If you are not in a hurry, you can refrigerate the cake for 5-6 hours or overnight.

For the Red Velvet Layers

Since we are using a 9 inch springform pan for our cheesecake, we used 9 inch cake pans as well for our red velvet cake.

This homemade red velvet cake recipe is moist and delicious with a hint of cocoa flavor. The buttermilk combined with a bit vinegar in the recipe makes for a delightfully tender cake! Our printable recipe can be found further down in this post, but here is a quick look at our steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour two 9×2 inch round pans. We always like to line our pans with parchment paper also.
• Flour Mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder for 30 seconds. Set aside
• Buttermilk Mixture: In another bowl, add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, white vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.  Set aside.
• Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of your mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
• Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk is blended.
• Dry and Wet Ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid). After the last addition, mix just until blended.

• Pans: Divide batter between the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.

• Time to Bake! Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached. Cool layers in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out.
• The cake layers are a pretty deep red color, darkened somewhat by the cocoa powder in the recipe.

Assembling the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

Once your cake layers are cool and your cheesecake layer has chilled until firm, it's time to assemble the cake!

Place the first red velvet cheesecake on your cake base or cake pedestal. Spread with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting.

Next for the cheesecake layer: If the sides of the cheesecake appear to be sticking to the pan at all, run a thin knife (heated with hot water) around the inside of the cake pan to release . Then, release the sides of the springform pan.

Carefully turn the cheesecake upside down onto the first cake layer. remove the bottom of the springform pan. If it sticks at all, use a thin, hot knife to slide between the pan and the cake to release.

***Peel away the parchment paper from the cheesecake if you haven't already. It matches the color of the cheesecake and so be careful not to forget this step! ;0)

Next, spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting onto the cheesecake layer and top with the second layer of red velvet cake.

What if the layers don't match up?

Sometimes the layers do not match up perfectly. If your cheesecake layer is slightly wider than the cake layers, simply trim away any excess with a hot knife.

If your cake layers are slightly larger than the cheesecake layer, gently trim away as needed around the sides with a serrated knife.

Decorating the Cake

Time to add the frosting to the outside of the cake! You can decorate the cake however you like. Here is a quick look at my simple cake design.

Frost the cake as usual with cream cheese frosting. We love this recipe as it is not only delicious, but it is also so simple to make!

It is a simple combination of cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

When frosting the cake, it's easiest to first apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the top and around the sides of the cake.

At this point, I chill the cake for 10-15 minutes in the freezer (or longer in the refrigerator) before following up with the final layer of frosting.

Next, I used my trusty metal bench scraper to even out and smooth over the frosting. (You can heat the bench scraper under very hot water if you are going for a smooth finish as with the hot knife method--however, our frosting will be textured.)

I added a spiral on top of the cake using a smaller tapered offset spatula. To do this, start in the center, applying pressure with a small offset spatula.

Spiral out with each rotation as you spin the cake (preferably on a turntable).

If your frosting becomes too soft at any time, simply chill the bowl of frosting or the cake to firm it back up again.

Next, I added texture to the frosting around the sides of the cake with my spatula. This is just one of many easy ways to frost a cake.

All finished and ready to be sliced! I used every last bit of my cream cheese frosting. If you plan to do a lot of piping, you may want to increase the recipe by half.

More Cakes to Try

If you love cheesecake cakes, don't miss these other delicious recipes! Our most popular are probably the Lemon Cheesecake Cake and Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake, but they are all so delicious (and beautiful)!

We also have several more red velvet cake recipes for you including Red Velvet Pound Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, scratch Red Velvet Cake, Red Velvet Coconut Cake, and red velvet cupcakes!

We hope that you enjoy this delicious cake recipe.

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