Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
1 layer of cheesecake + 2 layers of red velvet cake = 3 layers of awesome! This Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake is a tasty way to celebrate Valentine’s Day…or any other day of the year!
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When I picked Robbie up from preschool, I showed him a slice of this Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake. His mouth just dropped open wide, and his eyes lit up. Pure toddler joy right there. But here’s the thing. He wasn’t excited about the layer of creamy cheesecake in the middle. He wasn’t excited about the fun layers of red velvet cake. He wasn’t even excited about the cream cheese frosting. He just wanted the sprinkles. (Technically, they’re nonpareils, but I just call everything in that category sprinkles.)
I’m pretty sure Robbie is the only kid in the world who doesn’t like ice cream. I mean it’s ice cream! Dad can polish off ice cream like it’s his job…but Robbie won’t do it. To be fair, he won’t really try it. He’s just a picky eater. Whenever we go out as a family for ice cream, Laura and I have learned to order one of the cones with sprinkles on the side. We end up with 2 ice cream cones and a huge bowl of sprinkles. And Robbie grabs a spoon and goes head-first into the sprinkles. I’m pretty sure this disqualifies us from winning Parents-of-the-Year, but such is life with a 3-year-old. You just roll with it. That, and Mom and Dad really like going out for ice cream!
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Last summer, I made this Red White and Blue Cheesecake Cake for the 4th of July. It was a huge hit! I mean it’s cake wrapped around cheesecake. You’ve got the best of both worlds! As soon as I took a bite out of that cake, I knew I needed to make another version. With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, I knew a Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake was in order.
Red velvet cakes traditionally have a cream cheese frosting, so they lend themselves well to a cheesecake cake. In fact, any cake that tastes good with cream cheese frosting would probably benefit from a layer of cheesecake getting stuffed inside. Next up: Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake. Phew, now if that isn’t a mouthful to say!
Before we wrap up this Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake, I must point out that this one is definitely in the running for favorite desserts. Growing up in the South, red velvet cakes are common. I actually didn’t enjoy them all that much as a kid since cream cheese wasn’t really my thing back then. If we’re being honest, my 7-year-old self thought cream cheese tasted like cheddar…and why would someone put cheddar on a cake!? As we know, cream cheese doesn’t taste like cheddar at all. I’ve seen the folly of my ways, and I’m making up for lost time now…one slice at a time. Cheers, friends!
Did you make this Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake at home? Leave a comment! Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog).
Looking for more fun Valentine’s Day desserts? Check these out, too:
Sachertorte
Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Chocolate Ombre Cake
Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Red Velvet Layers
- 8 oz. unsalted butter room temperature
- 1⅔ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp red food coloring (see note below)
- ½ Tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 8 oz. unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3-3½ cups powdered sugar
- {optional} red and white sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
For the Cheesecake
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Using a countertop mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth (~3 minutes).
- Add sugar and flour; mix until well combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Whisk the eggs and egg yolk together and add to the bowl; mix until well combined.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla; mix until well combined.
- Grease and flour (or spray with nonstick spray) sides of a 9” springform pan. Line pan with parchment paper and then pour cheesecake batter into pan.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place in a large baking dish. Fill dish with ~1” of water. Bake at 325°F until center of cake is just barely set (~30-35 minutes). (Tip: Pull the cheesecake out of the oven when there is about 1" ring of "looser" filling left in the center of the cake.)
- Remove cake from oven and cool slightly. Wrap entire pan in plastic wrap and freeze at least 3 hours (or overnight). (Note: Freezing the cheesecake makes it a lot easier to assemble the cake later.)
For the Red Velvet Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour (2) 9” round cake pans; set pans aside.
- Using a countertop mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (~3-4 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time; mix fully after each addition.
- Using a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- Add ½ of the dry ingredients to the bowl with sugar/butter; mix on low speed until fully combined. Add ½ of the liquid ingredients; mix on low until fully combined. Repeat with remaining dry and liquid ingredients. Once all ingredients have been added, scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula and mix on low speed until batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly into the 2 cake pans; smooth the tops of each cake with an offset spatula to ensure even baking.
- Bake at 350°F for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool on a cooling rack before frosting.
For the Frosting
- Using a countertop mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined (~2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until frosting reaches desired sweetness.
- Beat frosting on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
To Assemble
- Place one layer of red velvet cake on a large plate. Spread ½ cup of frosting evenly on top of cake.
- Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and place on top. Spread ½ cup of frosting on top of cheesecake layer.
- Place 2nd layer of red velvet cake on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake using the remaining frosting.
- {Optional} Decorate top of cake with red and white sprinkles.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
I love this cake almost as much as I love that Robbie eats sprinkles with a spoon :). That’s seriously the cutest thing I’ve ever heard! I hope you saved me a slice (or three) because I’m on my way to pick them up now–I’m a sucker for cheesecake cake but you probably already knew that haha!
Oh man, I need to dig up a picture of Robbie eating sprinkles with a spoon. I’m not gonna lie…I was more than a little bit embarrassed when he started doing that. But then again, he’s a 3-year old. He’s allowed to do stuff like that! (Adults like us can do it, too…we just have to hide in the closet when we do it. Haha!) Cheers, Kelsie!
It’s always about the sprinkles! They bring the joy to every great dessert! I love the layers and the fact that there’s cheesecake in the middle! Nicely done!!!
I totally agree, Kathy! Sprinkles make every dessert better. In Robbie’s case, he prefers sprinkles topped with sprinkles. 🙂
3 layers of deliciousness for sure!! Love the cheesecake and cake combo and those sprinkles (or nonpareils) add such a fun and festive touch, perfect for Valentine’s Day….though, I don’t know if I could wait that long 😉 Pinned! Have a wonderful weekend ahead, David!
I’m not gonna lie, Dawn…this cake didn’t last until Valentine’s Day around here. But I did have the foresight to freeze a couple of slices, so you better believe I’ll be pulling those out come Thursday. Thanks so much, my friend, and I hope your week is off to a great start so far!
Two of my favorite things in one! SO DELISH
Haha! Thank you…I couldn’t agree more! 🙂
David! Wow! red velvet cake + cheesecake all together = bliss! This reminds me of those Costco cakes – they don’t have a red velvet version – just a vanilla and chocolate one but their cakes are sandwiched together with a cheesecake layer in the middle – its one of the reasons I crave their cakes so I know I could easily polish off at least half of this in one siting – but first, I’d scrape off the sprinkles for Robbie to enjoy with a spoon! Fantastic job!
There you go again reminding me that we don’t have a Costco up here. Rude! 🙂 So a chocolate, vanilla, cheesecake cake? That sounds like a challenge to recreate it! Ah, you are too kind to save the sprinkles for Robbie. I know he will appreciate that! He just doesn’t realize what he’s missing out on. Haha. Cheers, my friend!
Isn’t it amazing how children look at things in a different way? I was staring at the creamy layer in the middle. And all Robbie was looking at was the sprinkes. Ha ha. Brilliant! Still at least we both loved your cake. And you know how much I love my Cheesecakes! 🙂
I totally agree, Neil! Robbie wouldn’t touch that cheesecake with a 10-foot pole. Me on the other hand? Give me a fork, and I’ll dig straight in! I guess you can say this cheesecake cake has something for everyone, right? Haha!
Hi David! You have just combined my son’s two favorite desserts! I know every Southerner who reads this is going to say “WHAT”, but I am not a fan of red velvet cake. I’m more of a carrot cake person so I’m looking forward to that one! That being said this is perfect for Valentine’s Day! I say let Robbie eat sprinkles, sometimes parents just gotta do what they have to to keep the peace! Have a great weekend!
I totally understand, Dorothy! As much as I love red velvet cake, I get it. We all have different preferences when it comes to flavors. Truthfully, I think I might like carrot cake more than red velvet cake. It would be a close race, though! Oh, and I absolutely, 100% understand your comment about keeping the peace. We just finished the move this past weekend, and we definitely let Robbie have some iPad time. I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind seeing all of our stuff (and his toys) move from one house to another! Stay warm, my friend!
I think it is a rule of nature that all kids love anything with sprinkles! I know my boys will make a b-line for anything with them on. But this cake, cheesecake and red velvet in one! It sounds both insane and delicious!
Haha…I totally agree, Matt! Heck, my eye goes straight for things with sprinkles, too. (Although, to be fair, a bowl of sprinkles by itself doesn’t really call my name.) Cake + cheesecake together in one is seriously a fun dessert! You should make one…you know, to celebrate Valentine’s Day (or any other day that ends in -y)!
David, I’m a not huge fan of red velvet – it’s a boring cake to me; the best part of it is the frosting. But on the other hand, I like twists on this theme (from pancakes to desserts). I can tell you: that’s the most exciting Red Velvet recipe I’ve seen (And I’m not buttering your up; however, if you feel my compliments deserve a slice of cake, plese go ahead and ship me a few slices). And you didn’t forget the frosting…You can also send a container with extra frosting 🙂 Beautiful work!
I respect your opinion, Ben, but I have to disagree when it comes to red velvet cake. Of course, I grew up on this cake, so it comes along with plenty of fun childhood memories, too! Since you were so kind in your comment, I’ll send you up a slice of this cake. As soon as I find it! (We finished the move this past weekend, so our stuff is scattered all over the place. Umph.) Cheers, my friend!
Such a fun and festive cake! Between the cheesecake in the middle and the cream cheese frosting, it must be so creamy and delicious. I’m with Robbie! Sprinkles make me feel like a kid again!
I swear sprinkles are synonymous with childhood! I have great memories of helping my mom decorate cakes when I was a kid. (And by decorate, I mean sprinkle sprinkles on top. Haha!) Happy early Valentine’s Day, Kelly! 🙂
I know people love quick and easy, and sometimes so do I — BUT, I really love recipes that are a process. I make time for them — so much of the joy of cooking and baking is about the process as much as the result. I just pinned this to my Valentine’s Day board. It’s so much fun and I can only imagine how delicious it is!
I hear ya, Valentina. There’s a place for all kinds of recipes. Some days I need something super quick and easy. Some days I need a slow cooker type of recipe. Some days I feel like getting in the kitchen and tapping into my creative side. These cheesecake cake turned out quite well, and we saved a couple of slicers in the freezer for actual Valentine’s Day! 🙂 Hope your week is off to a great start, my friend!
What an incredible cake, David. It may be a process, but it looks totally worth it!!
I’m amazed that Robbie doesn’t like ice cream! lol! Well, more for you and Laura I suppose.
Thank you so much, Marissa! Sometimes it’s totally worth it to spend an afternoon in the kitchen cooking/baking. I find recipes like that to be relaxing and fun! Also, I hear ya on the ice cream. What 3-year-old doesn’t like ice cream!? One day he’ll see the folly of his ways!
oh gosh! that red velvet makes me starving it looks so delicious great one david!
Thank you so much, Mary!!
What a gorgeous cake – and perfect for a Valentine. So funny about what kids will and won’t eat. Ice cream of all things!
I know! What 3-year old little boy doesn’t like ice cream!? Oh well…more for me, right? 🙂
That is interesting that Robbie doesn’t like ice cream! My guess is that he’ll grow to like it. Curious, is he a big fan of other dairy? I’m wondering if he’s really just not a dairy eater… I’d be impressed with this cake if I was a kiddo too though! Bright colors & layers with SPRINKLES!!
I think you’re right, Nicole. Robbie will learn to love ice cream once he decides to actually try it. He does indeed like other dairy…well, milk. (I’ve taught him to say “milk makes me strong like bull.” Haha!) He doesn’t like cheese, either…but that’s the same deal. He likes things like grilled cheese and mac and cheese just as long as we don’t say ‘cheese.’ So crazy! Thanks so much for the kind words, and happy Valentine’s Day to you, my friend!
What a coincidence. It was my birthday on 13th and Dilip bought me a red velvet cake to cut. But there was this cheese were missing. I think I will try this cake for my daughter’s birthday this time. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe. 🙂
Haha! I can’t believe that cheesecake layer was missing from your cake, Puja! 🙂 Red velvet cake sure is fun, and it’s even better when you add a layer of cheesecake in the middle. This project takes some time, but it’s totally worth it. Happy belated birthday, my friend!
How beautiful does this look!? I can imagine being VERY happy coming home to a slice of this, also!
I will make soon 🙂
Thank you so much, Alexandra! I’m right there with ya…coming home to a cake on the counter is a pretty great way to wrap up a day. 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
This cake is awesome — I wonder if I freeze it — freeze the layers separately then assembly or assemble and freeze it?
Thank you for sharing this is hit!
Hey Mindy! Cake and cheesecake both freeze really well, so I think freezing this cake is totally possible. I would recommend freezing the individual layers and then waiting until you pull it back out to put the frosting on it. Since the frosting is a cream cheese frosting, it would also freeze well…but if you assemble it all first, then you’ll want to unwrap it while it’s still frozen. (Otherwise all of the frosting will come off when you unwrap it.) I think individual layers is the way to go! Either way, I hope you enjoy this one – it’s really tasty!!