Red Velvet Cheesecake

4.72 from 7 votes

This triple layer red velvet cheesecake starts with a simple boxed cake mix and has a cheesecake layer in the middle. Mouth-watering cream cheese frosting covers the outside.

Prep Time40

Cook Time1 30

Total Time2 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake recipes, cheesecake cake, red velvet recipes, valentine's day

Servings: servings

Calories: 830kcal

Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

1 box red velvet cake mix 16.25 ounces
4 large eggs
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup milk

Cheesecake:

32 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
3/4 cup butter (softened)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans if desired

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, butter and milk. Mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Spray two 10 1/4" cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and then flour the pans. (If your cake pans are not the same size as your springform pan, you can use the springform pan to bake your cake layers so the layers come out to be the same size). Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the from the pans and turn them onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you'd like to top your cheesecake with red velvet cake crumbles as I did, you can cut just the very top of the cake off (the part that has domed slightly). You won't need very much cut off and no one will know the difference!
Once they cool completely, you can wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze them so the cake is easy to assemble and ice. This is optional, but something we like to do!

For the Cheesecake:

In a stand mixer bowl using the beater blade, beat together the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until completely smooth, which will be about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute or so after each egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly mixed.
Spray a 10 1/4" springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap the sides and bottom of the pan in two layers of aluminum foil. Pour the batter into the springform pan. Place the springform pan into a larger pan. Boil 1-2 quarters of water. Pour the boiling water into the larger pan until the water comes about halfway up the side of the foil covered springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes. The edges should be set, but the middle will still jiggle a bit. Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 1 hour.
When the cheesecake is done baking, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Then put the cheesecake in the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least 4-6 hours.

Assemble the Cake:

After the cheesecake has cooled, assemble the cake. Place a red velvet cake layer on a plate. If you'd like, level the cakes with a large serrated knife. We didn't feel this was necessary, since our layers were fairly even. Then place the cheesecake layer on top of the cake. Top the cheesecake with the second cake layer.

For the Frosting:

Using an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 a cup at at time, until it is thoroughly mixed. Add the vanilla and beat the frosting on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, cover the sides and top of the cake in frosting. Top with pecans if desired.
Refrigerate the cake overnight, then store the cake in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

If your pans are bigger or smaller than 10 1/4", you will need to adjust the baking times. The hot water bath is not necessary, but makes a nice cheesecake with no cracks.

This recipe takes a long time because of refrigeration and baking, but is not a lot of hands on time. I like that you can make the layers ahead of time, and put the cake together later. It's nice for when you need a dessert that can be made a day or two in advance!

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