Have you ever eaten a slice of red velvet cake and thought, “there’s no way this could get any better?” Or sliced off a silky piece of cheesecake and thought “THIS is the best, honestly underrated, dessert of all time?” Then boy do we have a recipe for you.
If you love both red velvet cake and cheesecake, this perfect sweet-meets-rich-meets-creamy concoction is bound to be your new favorite dessert. A red velvet filling is spiked with cocoa, topped with a creamy cheesecake layer, and baked in a dark chocolate crust–making a wickedly-delicious combination. As far as preparation goes, the cake will require eight hours to chill so it’s perfect to make in advance. Prep time is a cool 20 minutes, and then the oven will require a bit of baby-sitting for the first 10 minutes. After that, you just set it a forget it. Eight hours later, it’s time to enjoy!
How to Make It
Step 1
Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Step 2
Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.
Step 3
Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Step 4
Beat 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Remove sides of springform pan. Garnish, if desired.
