Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

A couple months ago I was contacted by a regular reader (hi Candace!) of this website.

Candace absolutely loves the Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake that is served at The Cheesecake Factory.  And she wanted to know if I had an easy copycat recipe for it.

Well, I don't live anywhere near a Cheesecake Factory.

I had been to one years ago but that particular dessert didn't stick out in my mind.

But I thought it sounded like a pretty darn good cake/cheesecake.

However, every recipe I Googled seemed to have a bunch of ingredients and a whole lotta steps.  Now you could certainly take nearly a whole day to make an exact replica.

And I'm sure those recipes would not disappoint.

I, on the other hand, decided to just take inspiration from the original cake and make it into

 something a little more everyday-friendly.
I wanted to take the flavors of that cake and make it into an easy (but no less tasty!) dessert.

So, here is what I came up with.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake.

It starts off by using a red velvet boxed cake mix, then a sweet cream cheese layer is swirled in and then it's all topped off with a buttery cream cheese frosting.

Come to Momma!

Ingredients:

1 box Red Velvet Cake mix

(ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil & water)

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg white

For the icing:

1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. milk

additional cake mix ingredients (eggs, oil & water) not pictured here

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind that has flour in it).

Prepare red velvet cake mix according to package directions. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together 1 block of cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and egg white.

Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, mix well until smooth.

If you are still seeing lumps, keep mixing.

This may take about 2-3 minutes. 

Pour half of the red velvet cake batter into the baking dish. 
Spreading it out as evenly as possible.

Then take all of the cream cheese mixture and layer on top of the red velvet cake batter.

I drop it by spoonfuls.

Then, using the spoon, just swirl it around lightly.

Now add the rest of the red velvet cake batter on top and spread it out as evenly as possible.

Do your best to spread it out and cover the cream cheese layer.

Put cake into oven and bake for about 40 minutes (until cake bounces back to the touch & and inserted toothpick comes out clean).

Allow the cake to cool completely. 

Then start preparing icing.

Now, if you read my blog regularly, then you know I'm all about trying to keep things easy.
 So if you want, go ahead and ice this cake with a tub of store bought cream cheese frosting.

It will still be delicious!

But if you have time (and you feel like it), how about dressing this cake up with some homemade cream cheese frosting. 

In a bowl (using an electric mixer or stand mixer) combine 4 oz. (1/2 block)of cream cheese with 1/3 cup softened butter.

 Add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Then stir in vanilla. 

And lastly, mix in the milk.

Every time I do these "action shots", it looks like my mixer is going a million miles an hour.
But I assure you, it was actually on the slow speed setting. 

Mix until smooth then spread on cooled cake.

Slice up and serve.

This cake needs to be kept refrigerated.

Note: If you don't want to go through the effort of layering the cake with the cream cheese. You can just pour all the red velvet cake batter into the baking dish. Then take the cream cheese mixture and swirl it around on top of the cake batter. Then bake as directed.

I just like to put the cream cheese layer in the middle so it's a bit more visible when you cut into the cake. I've done it both ways (as you can tell from the above picture) and either way it still comes out tasting great.

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe Here