Pink Velvet Cheesecake Recipe | Cookies and Cups

After I shut my eyes and consider the final word two-in-one dessert, I’m picturing pink velvet cheesecake! This recipe is impressed by the Cheesecake Manufacturing facility (the authority on decadent cheesecakes, IYKYK). I made this copycat model with double layers of my best red velvet cake and straightforward baked cheesecake, frosted with the creamiest cream cheese frosting.

Each chunk has the proper steadiness of candy and tangy, wealthy and creamy, delicate cake and velvety cheesecake. This pink velvet cheesecake could be excellent for Valentine’s Day or a birthday celebration. 

Why This Pink Velvet Cheesecake Is THAT Good

• Spectacular however straightforward. Don’t let the layers intimidate you. Pink velvet cheesecake is a cinch to make and even faster to stack, and I’ll share my suggestions for fulfillment. You’ll be slicing into your masterpiece very quickly.
• Two flavors in a single dessert. You might have wealthy, silky, tangy cheesecake and the delicate chocolatey taste of pink velvet in a single cake!
• Adaptable. I make each cake layers from scratch. Relying on how a lot time you could have (and the quantity of effort you need to put into your cake), you can also make a semi-homemade model with a pink velvet cake combine as an alternative.

What You’ll Want

This cake recipe consists of a pink velvet sponge layer, creamy cheesecake layer, and frosting. The neat factor these parts have in widespread is that all of them depend on a handful of particular, but straightforward, pantry components to return out excellent. 

Let’s go over what you’ll want with some notes. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the whole components, quantities, and recipe particulars.

For the Pink Velvet Cake Layers

• Dry Elements – Sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Cocoa Powder – Pure, unsweetened cocoa powder is the traditional selection for pink velvet cake recipes. 
• Oil – Select a neutral-flavored vegetable oil, like canola or related.
• Eggs and Vanilla – Take these out of the fridge so they arrive to room temperature.
• Vinegar – Only a small quantity of white vinegar. The response between the vinegar, buttermilk, and pure cocoa powder in conventional pink velvet cake is what gave it its signature reddish coloration. We’re including meals coloring to this recipe, however the vinegar nonetheless performs a job in making the cake further tender.
• Pink Meals Coloring – Gel meals colours are stronger, and also you received’t want as a lot for a deep, pink cake.
• Buttermilk – For those who don’t have buttermilk within the fridge, save your self the journey to the shop and make a homemade buttermilk substitute as an alternative. Merely mix 1 scant cup of milk with  1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice, let it sit for five minutes, then stir and add it to the batter as directed.

For the Cheesecake Layers

• Cream Cheese – The type that is available in blocks, dropped at room temperature. Full-fat cream cheese yields the creamiest cheesecake.
• Bitter Cream – For those who don’t have bitter cream, Greek yogurt or plain yogurt are good substitutes.
• Eggs – Flippantly beat the eggs earlier than you start. 
• Sugar and Flour – Granulated sugar and all-purpose flour work finest right here for a persistently clean cheesecake.

Which Frosting Ought to I Use?

I borrowed the simple cream cheese frosting from my carrot cake recipe to frost this cake. I assumed the sweet-tangy flavors complemented the pink velvet cake and cheesecake layers with out being overly candy or buttery.

In fact, don’t let that cease you from utilizing traditional vanilla buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream. This cooked heritage frosting provides a pleasant, rustic contact, and I take advantage of it in my authentic pink velvet cake recipe.

The way to Make Pink Velvet Cheesecake (Step-By-Step)

Right here’s an summary of what to anticipate when making this show-stopping pink velvet cheesecake recipe. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card for the printable directions.

First, Bake the Pink Velvet Cake

• Combine the batter. Mix the dry components for the cake, then add the moist components. Add the meals coloring earlier than mixing within the vinegar and buttermilk. 
• Bake. Afterward, divide the cake between two greased and lined 8-inch spherical pans. Bake the desserts at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes. 
• Cool. Go away them to chill within the pan for 10 minutes earlier than eradicating the desserts. They’ll want to chill utterly and chill within the fridge in a single day together with the cheesecake layers.

Make the Cheesecake

Decrease the oven temperature to 300ºF. You need to use the identical pans you used to bake your cake layers to bake the cheesecakes, simply clear them out and re-line them.

• Put together a water bathtub. Add about ½ inch of water to a roasting pan massive sufficient to suit each spherical pans (or, use two water baths). Place the water bathtub(s) into the oven when you combine the cheesecake batter.

• Make the cheesecake filling. Beat cream cheese with sugar, then add the bitter cream, adopted by the eggs and vanilla. Fold within the flour by hand. Once more, divide the batter between the 2 pans.
• Bake. Bake your cheesecake layers within the water bathtub for 25 minutes, till they’re largely set with a bit of jiggle within the center. 
• Cool regularly. At this level, swap off the oven and depart the cheesecakes to chill inside with the door cracked. You possibly can depart them in there for a couple of hours, so long as it takes to return to room temperature (a trick I picked up from my mother-in-law).
• Chill. Run a knife across the edges of the cheesecakes earlier than overlaying the pans and inserting them into the fridge to relax with the desserts in a single day. After chilling, the cheesecake ought to pop proper out when you invert it. If it’s a bit caught, place the underside of the pan in a sizzling water bathtub and use a spatula to assist it loosen gently.

The way to Adorn Pink Velvet Cheesecake

I wish to shave chocolate curls from a white chocolate bar to press into the frosting to brighten. You might be as inventive as you’d like, and alter up the decorations relying on the event. Drizzle the cake with pourable chocolate ganache, or add contemporary strawberries on high. For those who’ve leveled your desserts, crumble up the pink cake trimmings to sprinkle over the cake as a garnish.

Regularly Requested Questions

Professional Suggestions and Variations

• Measure the flour accurately. An excessive amount of flour leads to a dry, crumbly cake. Ensure to measure utilizing a kitchen scale. For those who don’t have one, use the spoon and sweep technique, the place you spoon the flour from the bag into the measuring cup and degree it off afterward to keep away from overmeasuring.
• Don’t overmix the cake batter. After you’ve added the flour, take care to not overmix the batter. Overmixing can result in a dense cake and cheesecake.
• Cool the cheesecakes regularly. This step is essential because it prevents sinking and cracking. Sudden temperature modifications could cause the cheesecake to crack (that is additionally why it’s essential to not open the oven prematurely!). After baking, crack the door, and depart the cheesecake within the oven for not less than an hour, or till it’s cooled.
• Make a double-chocolate model. Chocoholics, I see you! Swap the traditional cheesecake layers with chocolate cheesecake as an alternative. You possibly can even frost the cake with my chocolate cream cheese frosting, on this case.

The way to Retailer

• Refrigerate. Retailer leftover cake in an hermetic container, like a cake service, within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
• Freeze. Each time attainable, freeze the cake layers earlier than assembling and frosting. Wrap the cheesecakes tightly within the pans and double-wrap the pink velvet cake layers in plastic wrap. Freeze for as much as 2 months and thaw the layers within the fridge earlier than constructing the cake.