Layered Red Velvet Cake

After quite a long time.... we are finally back!

With college midterms, hockey games, running half marathons, Florida vacations, baking cupcakes for the big hockey banquet, and just taking care of ourselves, we finally had time to crack down and whip out another blog recipe.

Layered Red Velvet Cake

Layers of cheesecake, red velvet cake, and cream cheese frosting....sounds like a good recipe to have a comeback with.

We decided to make this a square "bar" cake instead of the normal round layered cakes we've done before.  I also think we have layered cakes on the brain lately.  That's all we seem to make.

Since we were short on time (we are still working on the cupcakes for the hockey banquet), we decided to use the red velvet cake box mix instead of a homemade recipe.  Don't judge.  We used 2 boxes, to make 2 square cakes about the size of a 9x13 pan.  

We made the cheesecake in the same size pans and let both the cake and the cheesecake cool down completely in the freezer.

Then came the cream cheese frosting part... my personal favorite, which I guess is always anything dealing with frosting.

Then we trimmed down the cakes, 

put a thin layer of frosting between each layer to  hold it together, 

and then finished off with a thicker layer of frosting on top.  Voila!

Cheesecake:

32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1¼ cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

¾ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cake:

2 red velvet cake mixes

Ingredients listed for each box mix

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. Make the Cheesecake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and then tightly wrap the outside with heavy duty foil. (I find that double-wrapping helps prevent leaks in a water bath.) Put a pot of water (or a tea kettle) on to boil.*

2. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute or so after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and beat until completely incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the springform pan; place the springform pan into a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and pour the boiling water into the larger pan until the water comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.*

4. Bake until the cheesecake edges are set but the middle still jiggles a bit, about 45 to 55 minutes. Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 1 hour. At this point, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator until well-chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

*We covered two 9x13 pans with parchment paper instead of using spring form pans, and we did not bake the cheesecakes in a water bath.

5. Make, and bake red velvet cakes as directed, using two 9x13 pans.

6. Make the Frosting: Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the butter and cream cheese on high speed for about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until all is incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.

7. Assemble the Cheesecake: If needed, level the tops of the red velvet cake layers with a serrated knife or cake leveler so that the tops are level and not domed.  Place one layer of the red velvet cake on your serving plate. Spread a very thin layer of the cream cheese frosting over it (it creates a type of glue so that the layers stick together and don't slide around). Top that with one layer of the cheesecake, and again top with a very thin layer of frosting. Repeat, adding the second red velvet layer, and then placing the second cheesecake layer on top, with a layer of frosting between them. Using the remaining frosting, cover the cake in frosting and decorate as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and refrigerate any leftovers.