The Best Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake ever.

 

I guess the red velvet trend is starting to die out now, but red velvet is still unquestionably many people's favorite flavor.

I'm not so sure that I would be able to recognize the taste of red velvet in a blind taste testing; maybe it's just the color that makes it alluring to our taste buds, as well as our eyes.

But seriously, there's like twenty red velvet recipes in my "to try" list because they all looked so tempting!

Red velvet whoopie pies, red velvet cookies, red velvet cupcakes, red velvet cake balls... you name it!

This one was the only recipe I've tried so far, and it's definitely an good start!

No, it's actually an AMAZING start.

A whole layer of rich and creamy cheesecake stuffed inside two moist, thick, and delicious layers of red velvet cake.

Covered with decadent cream cheese frosting.

Topped with shavings of white chocolate love.

Mmm... what more could you ask for?

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
recipe adapted from recipegirl

Makes one amazing 9-inch 3-layer cake

Ingredients:

For the Cheesecake:

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

pinch of salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup melted butter

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup (two 1-ounce bottles) red food coloring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons white vinegar

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted lightly to remove any lumps

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare the cheesecake layer: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn't seep into the pan). In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese- blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan (it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake). Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours- or overnight.

2. Prepare the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round metal baking pans (or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, melted butter, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

3. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy (do not overbeat).

4. Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.

5. Frost the cake: Apply a crumb coat layer to the cake- use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Be sure to wipe off your spatula each time you are about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won't be transferring any red crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don't worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to "set" the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the 2nd layer. Start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Because you applied a crumb-coat layer, you shouldn't have any red crumbs floating around in the final frosting layer. Decorate, as desired. I recommend white chocolate shavings (see *Tips below). Keep this cake refrigerated.

Tips:

*For making white chocolate shavings: Purchase a hunk of white chocolate. Microwave the chocolate to soften it up slightly (15 to 30 seconds, depending on the size). Use a potato peeler to run down the side of the chocolate to create shards/shaves/curls of white chocolate. I like to shave it onto a paper plater and then just use the plate to slide the chocolate onto the top of the cake.

*If you are serving this cake at a party, it's perfectly okay to leave the cake at room temperature for an hour or so while serving. Otherwise, keep it in the refrigerator. It also freezes perfectly! I made my cake one day and then just placed it as-is in the freezer and pulled it out the next day. It thaws quickly.

*The original recipe uses 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar for the frosting, but my family doesn't like crazy sweet stuff, so I reduced the amount drastically. 1 cup was still very sweet for us!

 

 

 

Flower Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Tada!

My very first attempt at cake decorating!

I was shy and I always stuck to simple whipped cream when it came to frosting cakes, but I guess it was about time I'd tried something new.

So I made some royal icing and buttercream and used them both on this beautiful flower-covered cake!

Today was my mom's birthday, so I made a full course dinner for her (well, technically, we had it for breakfast. Yup, at 8am in the morning.) including an appetizer, an entree with two sides, and a dessert :)

So the menu was:

~*~

Appetizer - Korean rolled omelettes

Entree - Braised beef eye of round steak with BBQ sauce

Side - Garlic mashed potatoes

- Oriental salad

Dessert - Flower cake with chocolate frosting

~*~

Wow... the main dish just looks like a big lump of 'stuff'.

I wasn't too happy with the beef because the sauce turned out a little too sweet, but overall, I was proud of my special gift for my mom:)

Especially the cake.

OMG, the cake.

It was the best thing on the menu.

Sinfully delicious and divine. That's what it was.

The chocolate buttercream was perfectly creamy and rich, and the cake layers were very moist and tender. 

And the filling was...

Okay, I cheated a little and used pudding mix and cool whip for the filling, but I was so busy cooking and baking yesterday that I just didn't have the time to make bavarian cream.

Anyway, it was a wonderful cake, and the flowers were of just the right sweetness too.

I'm planning to make this cake again for my dad's birthday, but with different decorations!    

    

Flower Cake with Chocolate Frosting

makes 4-layered 8-inch cake

Recipe adapted from makinglifedelicious(sponge cake) & Wilton(buttercream)

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

5 egg yolks

5 egg whites

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Rum Syrup:

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 tablespoon rum

For the Filling:

1 pkg vanilla instant pudding mix

1 1/4 cups fat free milk

3 tablespoons cool whip

1 pkg chocolate instant pudding mix

1 1/4 cups fat free milk

3 tablespoons cool whip

2 cups cool whip

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons meringue powder

1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar, sifted

10 tablespoons Crisco shortening

2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon butter flavor

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Royal Icing:

1 tablespoon meringue powder

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, measured before sifting

2 tablespoons water

Few drops of food coloring (any color)

Directions:

You might want to make the royal icing flowers several days before making the cake, because they need time to dry.

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until lemon colored. (They will look crumbly, like they're never gonna mix, but don't freak out like I did; they will look better later on!) 

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Sift flour over the mixture and fold very gently until just incorporated, then add the remaining egg whites and gold, again, until just incorporated. Be very, very gentle, and try to mix them in quickly but thoroughly, until you have no more white streaks.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I baked them for 22 minutes and the sides came out a little hard)

Remove cakes from the oven and turn out of pans onto wire racks to cool completely.

You can do that, or you can wrap them tightly with plastic wrap when they are warm and put them in the freezer to lock in the moisture. I read about this method in a blog once and I use it whenever I feel like I overbaked the cakes just a tad. Once they cool down, take it out of the freezer and let it become room temperature.

For the Rum Syrup:

I know you're supposed to boil water and sugar first and then add the rum, but I didn't have time for that.

I simply combined water, corn syrup, a splash of rum, and called it a syrup:)

For the Filling:

The ingredients kinda speak for themselves. Mix the vanilla pudding mix with fat free milk, as directed on the box, let it set, then stir in the cool whip. Do the same with the chocolate pudding mix. Refrigerate until use.

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

Combine water and meringue powder. Whip at high speed until peaks form. Sift in 1 cup of powdered sugar into the mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, beating at low speed after each addition. Alternately add shortening and remaining sugar. Add cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and corn syrup. Add salt and flavorings. Beat at low speed until smooth.

To Assemble:

Cut off the tops of each cake to make them flat. Slice them horizontally in half to make four cake layers.

Put one layer in an 8-inch cake ring. Sprinkle with rum syrup. Pipe the chocolate buttercream around the cake with a round or star tip so that the filling doesn't ooze out. Fill in with vanilla filling. 

Top with a second cake layer, sprinkle with rum syrup, pipe a buttercream border, and fill in with cool whip. Reserve some for the very top.

Top with a third cake layer, sprinkle with rum syrup, pipe a buttercream border, and fill in with chocolate filling.

Top with the last cake layer, then spread the top with remaining cool whip. Coat the sides thinly with chocolate buttercream.

Using a basketweave tip (#47), make basketweave designs on the side. Then, using a star tip (#21), make rope borders around the top of the cake. (Click on the links for detailed how-to's.)

Pipe a message on top with the remaining frosting, using a round tip (#3).

My 'Happy Birthday' message kinda soaked into the cool whip and made a smudgy mess; I don't know why that happened.

For the Royal Icing:

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). For stiffer icing, use 1 teaspoon less water. Add 1-2 drops of desired food coloring. Fill a decorating bag with icing and pipe flowers, leaves, whatever you want, on a piece of parchment paper, and let it dry completely for 1-2 days, more if the flowers are big.

Here are the instructions for the roses, star drop flowers, and leaves.

When they become candy-hard, decorate the cake!

Giant Cream Puffs with Chocolate Frosting

One of the many advantages of baking at home is that when you make cream puffs...
 YOU CAN STUFF IN AS MUCH FILLING AS YOU WANT!!
These cream puffs, filled with creamy pistachio pudding and frosted with sweet, sugary chocolate icing, were made simply to satisfy my own cravings:)
I didn't care how they looked, or how messy they got; I just wanted to gobble, gobble, gobble!
Although, I have to say, they look pretty scrummylicious to me;)
Overall, these were heavenly. The icing was a little too sweet for my taste, but then again, I used semisweet chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate because that was all I had, which probably made a huge difference. Oh, and I also made some other healthy substitutions, so I didn't feel guilty at all.
I got this recipe a few months ago from my cooking teacher, and after we made them in class, everyone was licking the frosting and filling off their mixing bowls!

Giant Cream Puffs with Chocolate Frosting

recipe from my cooking teacher

makes 6

Ingredients:

For the Cream Puffs:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

Dash of salt

1/2 tsp sugar, if desired

For the Filling:

One 4-serving box of Jell-O instant pudding and pie filling, any flavor

1 cup fat free milk

1 cup whipping cream (I used 2 cups fat free cool whip)

For the Frosting:

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 tsp butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 tbsp hot water

Directions:

For the cream puffs:

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, and sugar, if desired. Bring to a boil. Add all the flour at once, stirring vigorously over low heat until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. (The batter may look curdled, but this is normal, and it will become smooth in the end. No worries!) Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on the lowest rack in a preheated 400F oven, until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Cool in the oven with door slightly open.

For the Filling:

Chill 2 bowls with beaters. Whip whipping cream in one bowl until stiff. In the other bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Mix for only 1 minute at high speed. Fold the pudding and the whipped cream (or cool whip) together thoroughly. 

For the Frosting:

In a microwave, heat unsweetened chocolate and 1 tsp butter in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in sifted powdered sugar and hot water, 1 tbsp at a time. Beat until smooth.

To assemble:

Cut off the tops of the cooled puffs and pull out any soft dough. Save the tops. Fill puffs with filling, replace tops, and frost with chocolate frosting. Refrigerate until serving. 

Make ahead: Make the puffs, filling, and frosting, and keep refrigerated. The next day, crisp up the puffs, after pulling out the insides, in a preheated 350F oven for 5 minutes. Cool, then assemble.