Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake (cake) CF Knockoff
By fluteanjel
I researched recipes for Red Velvet cake and Cheesecake for literally a month, before even attempting to bake anything. I must've read several dozen recipes for each, before settling on a handful to test. I tested four recipes before finally finding the two winning ones. Of the four that I tested, two were cheesecake recipes, and two were red velvet. They didn't turn out to my liking- sometimes the cake wasn't moist enough, or didn't have enough flavor. The cheesecakes either turned out too soft in texture or was too rich and sugary.
But after tasting these two, I knew they were perfect: (1) a Red Velvet cupcake recipe from Martha's cupcake book, and (2) A heavily modified WS White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe.
I always use a super high quality cocoa powder: Ghirardelli. It really makes a difference in the flavor of your end product.
At Cheesecake Factory, they have two layers of Red Velvet and two layers of cheesecake, but I decided to do one thick middle layer of cheesecake, as opposed to two thinner ones. Feel free to double the recipe if you'd like four layers total.
Ok so, I toyed with what kind of frosting to use for a good long while. Traditionally, Red Velvet cake is paired with cream cheese frosting, as did the one at Cheesecake Factory. I really dislike super sweet frosting, so I thought about using a lighter-on-the-sugar-and-palate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. But since I was replicating the one at Cheesecake Factory, I decided to stick with the original frosting. However, as a good compromise, I cut down the sugar by a lot. The cake and cheesecake layers already has sugar in it, so I didn't want to add a super sweet cream cheese frosting to drown out the flavors of the cake itself.
Usually you use about 2-3 cups of powdered sugar for one 8 oz package of cream cheese. However, in my recipe, I used a 1 to 1 ratio (3 cups of powdered sugar w/ 3 packages of cream cheese). If you are a big fan of cream cheese frosting, I suggest tasting the frosting as you're making it to adjust it to your liking. You might want to add more sugar than I did. Feel free to use your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe if you have a go-to one. =)
Ok, here are a few things about the cake:
(1) SO incredibly delicious! Everyone who tried it was amazed by the fantastic flavor of the red velvet with the white chocolate cheesecake. The cake was super moist and flavorful, while the cheesecake was subtly sweet and had a really nice, dense and creamy texture. The flavors complimented perfectly! It doesn't taste exactly like the one at Cheesecake Factory, but it was still pretty damn good- as delicious as the original one. =)
(2) When the cake is fully assembled, refrigerate overnight. The cheesecake needs time to set- that's when you'll get the best texture and flavor. Serve immediately after taking it out of the fridge. This is one of the rare times when cake tastes the best when it's chilled.
(3) So about the cream cheese frosting... it wasn't super sweet, so it didn't over power the cake like a normal cream cheese frosting would. However, next time when I make this, I will definitely try using a lighter, more mild Swiss or Italian Meringue buttercream. Since the flavors of the red velvet and the white chocolate cheesecake are so delicious and unique, the buttercream that goes with it should be muted, so that you can really enjoy the flavors of the cake itself. But if you're a big fan of cream cheese frosting, please try it with this cake! Some of my friends who tried this cake loved it with the frosting- I think it was because they were fans of cream cheese frosting in general.
Ingredients
- Red Velvet Cake
- Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp red gel-paste food color
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp distilled white vinegar
- White Chocolate Cheesecake
- Adapted from the Williams Sonoma Baking Cookbook
- 2 oz white chocolate, chopped
- 16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature ( 2 packages)
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 24 oz cream cheese (3 packages), at room temperature
- 3 sticks of butter, at room temperature
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups of powdered sugar, plus more to taste
Preparation
Step 1
The Red Velvet Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together dry ingredients: cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
Combine wet ingredients: With an electric mixer on med-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in food color and vanilla.
Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisk well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam), add mixture to the batter and mix on medium speed for 10 seconds.
Line two 9 inch spring form pans with parchment paper. Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Allow to cool before removing the cake from the pan. Allow to cool completely before assembling with the cheesecake.
The White Chocolate Cheesecake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the white chocolate and set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, using an electronic mixer, mix the cream cheese on low speed until creamy. add the sugar and mix slowly until smooth. on low speed, mix in the flour. turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Add one egg at a time and mix until smooth. scrape down again. mix in the vanilla and cream until the mixture is smooth. Using a large spoon, stir in the melted white chocolate until incorporated.
Pour the batter into a parchment paper lined 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set when you shake the pan slightly. Allow to cool before removing from the spring form pan. Allow to cool completely before assembling with the red velvet cake.
Frosting:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electronic mixer until well combined. Add more powdered sugar to taste, if a more sweet frosting is preferred. Use immediately to frost the cake.
Tips on frosting - to keep the crumbs from driving you crazy, first do a 'crumb coat' with a small amount of frosting thinned with a tiny bit of milk. Spread the thinned frosting over the cake to trap the crumbs. Chill the cake for 30 minutes or so after crumb-coating then frost with the remaining frosting. This should give you a very smooth finished cake. If it still isn't as smooth as you would like, chill it again after frosting with the second coat for about 30 minutes. Then smooth the frosting with a 'hot and dry' frosting spatula (first dipped in very hot water then dried off). Apply the hot dry spatula to the cold frosting and it will smooth out nicely.
After assembling the cake, allow it to rest in the fridge over night, before serving. Serve immediately after taking it out of the fridge.
if you don't have heavy cream, you can substitute 3/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. mix it together. it replaces 1 cup of regular heavy cream.