Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

1. Stage

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Stage

Prepare the pans: Grease an 8-inch springform pan and two 8-inch round cake pans with butter. Line the pans with parchment paper and grease the parchment. Dust the bottom and sides of the pans with flour and tap out the excess.

3. Stage

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour for the cheesecake layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour on medium-low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

4. Stage

Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla: Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well on medium-low speed after each addition. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined.

5. Stage

Bake the cheesecake: Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared springform pan and bake until set and only slightly jiggly in the middle 2 inches of the cake, 25 to 28 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

6. Stage

Chill the cheesecake in the fridge: Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator to allow it to chill while preparing the red velvet cake layers.

7. Stage

Combine the dry ingredients for the red velvet cake: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. If you don’t have a sifter, you may whisk the ingredients together instead. Cake flour and cocoa powder tend to clump, however, so sifting is advised.

8. Stage

Measure the wet ingredients: Measure the buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup. Add the vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring and whisk to combine.

9. Stage

Beat the butter, oil, and sugar and add the eggs: In the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. The mixture will have doubled or nearly tripled in volume. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined after each addition. Scrape down the bottoms and sides of the bowl with a spatula.

10. Stage

Combine the wet and the dry: Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Pour in 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and mix just until combined. Continue alternating the dry and wet ingredients, making sure to end with the dry ingredients and mixing until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl in between additions to ensure the batter mixes evenly.

11. Stage

Bake the red velvet cake layers: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will have deepened in color to brick red, the edges of the cake will have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the cake should spring back when gently poked with your finger. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before assembling and frosting, at least 1 hour.

12. Stage

Beat the cream cheese and butter for the cream cheese frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

13. Stage

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla: Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. The frosting will be much thicker than standard buttercream frosting. If the frosting seems too soft, place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to stiffen. If it still seems too runny, add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

14. Stage

Trim the red velvet cake layers: Depending on your cake pans, the red velvet cake layers may have domed while baking. If so, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes. Optionally, you can save the trimmings to make crumbs to sprinkle on the cake.

15. Stage

Assemble the cake: Place one of the red velvet cake layers on a large plate or a cardboard cake round at least 2 inches larger than the cake. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the red velvet cake layer, ensuring it’s centered. Top with the remaining red velvet cake layer. Check that the cake layers are aligned and that the top of the cake is level. Gently adjust accordingly.

16. Stage

Apply the crumb coat: Spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula or the straight edge of a large butter knife. Use the spatula to spread the frosting into a thin, even layer. You should be able to see the cake through the frosting. This thin layer of frosting is called the crumb coat and helps catch any loose crumbs on the outside of the cake so that the final layer of frosting doesn't have any bright red crumbs caught in it.

17. Stage

Refrigerate the cake: Place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the frosting to set. Cover and refrigerate the bowl of frosting as well.

18. Stage

Frost the cake: Remove the cake and the bowl of frosting from the refrigerator. Stir the frosting a few times until smooth. Spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sides of the cake as before, this time leaving a thicker layer of frosting. Use the offset spatula or the back of a butter knife to smooth the sides. If you have any cake trimmings, you can break them into crumbs and sprinkle them along the circumference of the top of the cake if desired. Did you love this recipe? Give us some stars below!