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Yes, Virginia…

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This Red Velvet Cheesecake is a vibrant red cheesecake with a hint of cocoa powder and covered in cream cheese frosting.

Yes Virginia….there is a Red Velvet Cheesecake.

Falling into the why didn’t I think of that category I ran across a recipe in Southern Living Christmas Cookbook for a Red Velvet Cheesecake.

My mouth dropped open just a bit.

How had I never thought of this before?

I mean my husband is the man who loves all things red velvet and he eats cheesecake.

Plus I love to experiment with cheesecake flavors.

The question I get from most people when I made this was, does it taste like the cake.

For the most part yes.

It has all the flavor components but in a creamy texture that is cheesecake.

And it has cream cheese frosting on top.

So cheesecake with cream cheese frosting.

Yeah, a pretty darn good invention if you ask me.

The cheesecake is not baked in a water bath which I was reluctant about.

It came out creamy but the next time I make this I will bake in a water bath.

I would love the say that I have crossed more things off my Holiday to-do-list.

Other than getting the tree up that would be a big fat zero…and I got invited to another party.

I find this the most ironic.

For last year I was invited to zero parties.

None, zippo, nada.

This year 10.

You think they could have spread these things out. 😉

No gifts have been bought.

Apparently when I told my editor that I needed my check so that I could Christmas shop, he must have thought I was super early and shopping for Christmas 09.

It’s been “getting out” to me for over a month now and at this point I’m no longer holding my breath.

I almost bought cards today but just didn’t find any I like.

Hopefully you are having better motivation than me.

P.S. It’s a great day to buy my cookbook Holy Sweet!

Want More Cheesecake Recipes?

Cinnamon Roll Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Caramel Corn Cheesecake

Vanilla Chai Latte Cheesecake

Pumpkin Salted Caramel Swirl Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Toffee Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Ingredients

  • For the Crust:
  • 1 ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 TBSP granulated sugar
  • For the Filling:
  • 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup whole buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
  • 2 (1 oz) bottles red food coloring
  • For the Topping:
  • 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. For the Crust:
  2. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1 TBSP sugar; press mixture onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
  3. For the Filling:
  4. Beat together cream cheese and sugar at medium low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute.
  5. Add eggs, unsweetened cocoa, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, vinegar and food coloring. 
  6. Mix on low speed just until fully combined.
  7. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  8. Bake at 325F for 10  minutes, reduce heat to 300F, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm.
  9. Run knife along outer edge of cheese.
  10. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes.
  11. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
  12. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
  13. For the topping:
  14. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.
  15. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator and spread topping evenly over top of cheesecake.
  16. Remove sides of springform.
  17. Garnish with sprinkles if desired.
© Peabody

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Comments

  4. My friend is bringing red velvet cake balls to my holiday cookie swap this Sunday. Would it be wrong if I had her cake balls but thought of your cheesecake instead? 🙂 It looks absolutely divine.

    Reply

  12. That is too funny. I just got my copy of this cookbook in the mail today and this is one of the recipes that really stuck out to me. My hubby is from the South and adores red velvet cake and you said it tastes like cake, so I am going to have to try it. It turned out perfectly. Glad to see I wasn’t the first person who saw it~

    Reply

  15. What beautiful explosive colours! Absolutely exquisite and appropriate for the Holidays! …which with a little courage Peabody, you’ll eventualy get into! LOL

    Reply

  17. It truly is a miracle! That is one of the most beautiful cheesecakes I’ve ever seen – like the Marilyn Monroe of cheesecakes. I have a friend who is a red velvet cake junkie. She will faint when she see this! Fabulous!

    Reply

  20. P-bdy, you are scaring me with the red. And you’re scaring me even more with your talk of cards and gifts. I will be lucky if I can get my caramels soft enough not to break teeth…

    Reply

  23. Oh no you didn’t!

    I was just thinking as I layed in bed last night “I haven’t made a cheesecake in a while…”

    There’s a special place in my heart for all things red velvet. Did you know they make a red velvet ice cream? Tastes just like cake batter-yum!

    Reply

  24. Dear Pea, You are cordially invited to a party at my house in the Oxfordshire countryside… Of course, it is on the date of all your other parties. We will miss you terribly as we drink and party the night away without you.
    So sad that you are so popular!

    That festive red velvet cheesecake is very eye catching. It’s a bit of Santa Claus’ suit on a plate!
    I am a bit weary of the 2 bottles of food colouring though.
    I would not want to be hauled in for a emergency sigmoidoscopy just because I ate a red cheesecake and had suspicious….droppings!
    Just joking you. It’s real purdy.

    Reply

  25. The whole time I was reading the beginning of your post I kept thinking, “but red velvet is nothing without the cream cheese frosting!” I can’t believe this included it – cheesecake and cream cheese frosting has to be the best thing ever!

    Reply

  28. I made this cheesecake last year for Christmas at my in-law’s. Everyone loved it. It really is a show stopper! Yours looks MUCH better than mine did though!

    Reply

  29. Cheesecake AND cream cheese frosting? YES! I love cream cheese. I would eat with anything. It goes with everything, right? I’ll have to try this!

    Reply

  33. I can’t get over how shiny it is! and RED. Jeez. The color is messing with my brain and a cheesecake taste. I’m surprised you hadn’t thought of it before, either. You have amazing creativity when it comes to cheesecake!

    Reply

  38. I must have a slice of that cheesecake, how totally cool and festive for the holidays.
    Hey, we got our tree up last night. Still not decorated though. Maybe between work and a Christmas party on Saturday (we’ve turned down three parties already) we can get a few ornaments up.

    Reply

  39. I’m a huge fan of Southern Living (especially the recipes) and a cheesecake like this would have struck me too. I cannot get over that color–so vivid & intense.

    Reply

  42. A friend of mine just made this for her husband’s birthday and my mouth dropped at the thought of it, too. Yes cream cheese on top of cream cheese is brilliant. I am totally making this.

    Reply

  45. red velvet + cheesecake = 2 of my favorite treats ever! this sounds amazing. my mother’s birthday is on Christmas day so I may just whip this up for her-thanks for sharing your recipe!

    Reply

  47. here we have further proof that i’ve been living in a cave–i’ve never even considered this! it’s wonderful! lovely color, and come on–it’s cheesecake! 🙂

    Reply

  49. I always make cheesecake in 9″ cake pans, but from your pic it looks wetter than regular NY cheesecake. Do you think it is necessary to use a springform? Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  51. I think I found red velvet cheesecake somewhere on the internet back in July and I was gonna make it but didn’t yet. Funny thing is I had been planning to make it for Christmas pretty much since summer, so I guess we are on the same wavelength dessert wise. The last cheesecake I made was for thanksgiving–eggnog cheesecake (in a cupcake pan) and they didn’t turn out that good although a few people told me that they were good. I just made eggnog cookies today and they are very good, they taste sort of like a sugar cookie with some eggnog flavor thrown in. I am going to make eggnog bread next though. So red velvet is gonna wait for a while anyway. Then I have another dessert I wanna make- Thin Mint icecream pie…

    Reply

  52. Wow, that’s amazing-looking!

    Oddly enough, I found the perfect Christmas cards at Wal-Mart. They had a great selection of cards with local scenes, and I got a few boxes of the ones with the Mukilteo lighthouse.

    Reply

  53. Pea, I have just returned from my first shopping session – and I hope I get it all done by the second. At least all the nieces and nephews have gifts now – all 6 of them. 🙂
    My tree is still in the box, though. 🙁

    What a festive, beautiful cheesecake. It could convert me into a cheesecake fan. 🙂

    Reply

  59. Oh my GOD! That looks incredible!!! I love Red Velvet cake but have never heard of a cheesecake, wow! Hopefully I am catching up with everyone after being overloaded with work for the last few weeks. Hope to see you join the Cooking with Alicia & Annie blog event this month!

    Reply

  60. That is one RED cheesecake & a brilliant reinvention of red velvet cake. As far as getting ready for Christmas, very litle has been done…maybe tomorrow…& 10 parties is a good thing, right?

    Reply

  63. This is just brilliant!! And I haven’t bought a single gift yet, either. so you are not alone!! (And I don’t think I’ll even send out cards this year!)

    Reply

  66. I love all things red velvet. And I don’t even have to try this to know I love it. And will make it. Over and over and over and over again…. The first time being Xmas…..

    Reply

  68. just made this cheesecake for my daughters bday……..I did use a water bath, rather than just following the recipe, and it came out disappointingly grainy. Any suggestions?

    Reply

  69. At this very moment I am waiting patiently while my first attempt at your Red Velvet Cheesecake is baking away in the oven. SO NERVOUS!!! I hope it turns out as delicious as I want it to be!

    Reply

  71. All done … I followed your oven timing instructions to the tee yesterday and the cheesecake looked great! That color .. that COLOR!! Drives me mad! One thing though .. luckily I put the cake pan on a baking sheet when I put it in the oven, because when I took it out after it baked, there was a layer of melted butter (I think it was butter) on the baking sheet. Do you know what might have happened? I used the exact amt of butter in the crust as you did. The only other thing I can think of is that it was the liquid from the cream cheese, because I used the low-fat stuff. Is that possible?

    Reply

  72. Now to the taste .. yesterday I didn’t taste it because you had said to let it chill for 8 hrs (I resisted, so proud of myself!). Today it’s all chilled & frosted & GORGEOUS. Gobbled up a slice for lunch. I LOVE IT!!! Seriously good! That crust and frosting are DY-NO-MITE! Thks for an awesome recipe Peabody 🙂

    Reply

  75. Hi!
    I just posted this recipe on my blog. It was AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve been a fan of your blog for sometime. I’ve finally started my own blog! Take a look when you get a chance. I’d greatly apprieciate it! =)

    Reply

  76. I put green food colouring in the icing and saved a little white to write “Merry Christmas” on the top and draw a couple snowflakes on the top and sides. It looked really nice and gave it that extra christmas feeling. Everyone loved it and I am making it again next year.

    Reply

  77. Lol, StumbleUpon believeth not in time constraints. This is teh awesomes! Thanks for sharing, I’m excited to try this out! I wonder if one could make little, individual cheesecakes using ramekins.

    Reply

  78. i saw a recipe like this but the other lady had used crushed up oreos for the crust and garnished it with fresh mint leaves that had piped red chocolate dots on them to make them look like holy. just a couple cute little additions that made it extra special. 🙂 i will be making my first attempt at this cake today when i get off work.

    Reply

  79. ps: the water bath is mostly helpful to keep the top of the cake from cracking for those of you who prefer to leave off the icing. and to kim, next time you might try a more finely granulated sugar or blend the cake mix longer, usually the graininess bakes out but if it didnt it may have just not been blended out smooth enough.

    Reply

  84. I have been scouring the internet for such a recipe! I was super phyched to make this.. The recipe was fairly simple. I decided myself to go the water bath route to ensure a picture perfect cake! My cake has been cooking for an extra 40 mins… I thought, at first, a 9″ pan sounded kind of small and I was right…my cake is A LOT thicker then the pic appears too be…Will make again but I think I will go 12″ pan next time so it isn’t as thick, cooks faster, and goes further…because, no one left me ANY leftovers!!!! 🙁
    …But the flavors are super-purb!!!

    Reply

  85. This is amazing. I love the color red, so my interest peaked immediately. I made this last summer for some friends. It was amazing. Very, very rich – but truly amazing. Then, I decided I would make it again for Christmas this year. I do a water bath even though I plan to put the icing on the top. I do think the water bath adds to the creamy texture. But, as I sit here 1 hour 60 minutes after first putting it in the oven (1:00am!!!!) I remember that 1.5 hours is NOT sufficient. Sigh. Wish I had made that note from last time.

    Reply

  87. Oh my, do I love you. I <3 red velvet AND cheesecake…. I need this.
    Why would you bake this in a water bath? Like, what or how do you think that change/improve it?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  3. […] pump, trying hard to eat healthy (even though I’m currently weighing the pros and cons of a red velvet cheesecake – recipe link courtesy of my friend Elizabeth Arnold), and making feeble attempts to get a […]

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