Cheesecake with Red Velvet Cake Chunks
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 6 eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- red velvet cake
- 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted then measured)
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring (one small bottle)
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- cheesecake
- 32 ounces cream cheese
- 16 ounces sour cream
- Carbohydrate 39.5522611558741 g
- Cholesterol 323.641464234 mg
- Fat 57.9638389555454 g
- Fiber 0.862708356841599 g
- Protein 15.1896240865733 g
- Saturated Fat 33.4344430926952 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (295g)
- Sodium 16782.4564720237 mg
- Sugar 38.6895527990325 g
- Trans Fat 6.32150357865952 g
- Calories 736 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
- Blend the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in another bowl .
- Beat the sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well blended after each addition.
- Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions.
- Put about 1/4" of cake batter in the bottom of a greased and floured 10" springform cake pan. Use the rest of the batter in a 13" x 9" or 9" inch cake pan.
- Bake both pans for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pans about 5 minutes and turn out to cool completely.
- Break the larger cake (NOT the one in the springform) into large chunks and set aside. (can be done a day ahead)
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Beat the cheesecake ingredients together until smooth.
- Reserve about 1/2 cup cake crumbs for the top.
- Fold the remaining cake chunks into cheesecake batter, Pour into pan.
- Cover the bottom of the springform (the one with the cake layer in it) with aluminum foil, bringing it up the sides. Place pan in larger pan of hot water. Water should come halfway up the sides.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Turn oven off and leave door closed for 1 hour. NO PEEKING!
- Remove from oven, take out of pan of hot water. Let come to room temperature and cover tightly.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Top with whipped cream or the topping of your choice and serve.
Using bottled liquid red food coloring instead of powdered or gel alternatives alters both the moisture balance and the chemical interaction of the batter, requiring precise measurement so the vinegar and baking soda react predictably to create the characteristic crumb. Without this acid-base reaction, the cocoa powder will not properly develop its reddish hue, resulting in a dull brown appearance rather than the vibrant crimson expected. Butter must be maintained strictly at room temperature, around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, to trap air pockets during creaming; melted fat destroys this structural integrity and yields a dense, heavy sponge.
Cream cheese and sour cream require thorough blending at moderate speed to incorporate oxygen without splitting the dairy fats, while folding in the torn cake pieces demands a gentle hand to prevent grey streaks in the batter. Positioning the springform pan inside a larger vessel filled with boiling water halfway up the sides stabilizes the ambient oven temperature, preventing the exterior edges from overcooking before the center sets at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaving the finished dessert inside the turned-off oven for one full hour with the door completely shut stops rapid thermal contraction, which is the primary cause of unsightly surface cracking.
Baking the base cake components up to twenty-four hours in advance streamlines the assembly process, and storing the fully chilled cheesecake wrapped tightly in the refrigerator overnight allows the dense crumb structure to firm up properly before slicing.
